Fifth of baby boomers shrug off pandemic negativity

A FIFTH of baby boomers say the pandemic has had few negative effects on their lives, even though many in that age group have accused young people who ignore Covid rules of “selfishness”.

A study by King’s College London (KCL) and the magazine New Scientist found that older generations were roughly twice as likely as younger generations to say they had not been negatively affected by Covid-19.

The proportion was 21 per cent for baby boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, while for millennials, 1981 to 1996, and Gen Z, 1997 to 2012, the figures stood at 12 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively. However, 49 per cent of adults complained that young people had been selfish, ignoring restrictions on their freedoms because the virus was less of a threat to them. Researchers added that 31 per cent of adults surveyed believed most young people had followed the rules.

They also said that 44 per cent of respondents felt older people have suffered most and 47 per cent said those aged 70 and above were most likely to have reported feeling lonely at the start of the first national lockdown in 2020. Savanta Comres’s study surveyed 2,050 UK adults online between Aug 2 and 9.

Views across the generations differed little, with younger cohorts also more likely than not to believe that young people had acted selfishly.

KCL’S Professor Bobby Duffy said perceptions of selfishness were driven by “fake stereotypes”. Office for National Statistics research found people aged 16-24 were most likely to feel lonely during lockdowns.