Lockdown straining couples’ relationships

The number of 20 and 30-somethings who want to end their relationship has jumped during the lockdown, research suggests.

One in 14 (7 per cent) people aged 25 to 34 said they wanted to end their relationship, a survey from Aviva carried out in May found.

Months spent living in close proximity to their partner in lockdown conditions, or perhaps apart if couples are not living together, may have been the last straw for some.

In December 2019, just 2 per cent in this age group were planning to end their relationship, Aviva previously found.

It said smaller increases in people planning to leave their partner were also seen in some other age groups.

For 16 to 24-year-olds, the percentage wanting to call time on their relationship increased from 3 per cent to 5 per cent between December and May, and for 35 to 44-yearolds it edged up from 2 per cent to 3 per cent.

With many households having suffered income shocks in recent months, perhaps because they have lost their job, been furloughed or had a pay cut, Aviva’s research also found other shifts in people’s hopes and aspirations.

In December 2019, more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of people who are not home owners hoped to buy a property in the future. But in May, just 52 per cent hoped to get on the property ladder.

The proportion of under-25s hoping to get on the property ladder in the next five years has decreased from 35 per cent in December to 27 per cent in May.

The number of households looking to trade up to a bigger property has also fallen from 10 per cent to 8 per cent.

The insurer, which interviewed more than 2,000 people across the UK in May, also found that 85 per cent of people have had a go at home improvements during lockdown, with 56 per cent saying they de-cluttered their property. More than half (52 per cent) have been gardening. Use of technology has also changed, with the number of over-55s using video calls increasing from 30 per cent to 38 per cent.