ARE PEOPLE WORRYING
In line with the increasingly high death toll, the level of concern remains high in the UK. This is despite, or even perhaps because of, the easing of lockdown measures in the last few weeks. Since the middle of March, the proportion of people concerned has not been below 80%. Recently passing through “key milestones” has not had an impact. In contrast, the level of concern has fallen significantly over the last month in Germany and the Netherlands, both at around 70%.
Question: Are you worried about the coronavirus? % yes
ARE PEOPLE TAKING PREVENTIVE MEASURES
The large majority of people in the UK continue to be compliant with taking measures. Compliance has been above 90% since lockdown began and the easing of the measures has not driven it down. The story is similar in Germany and the Netherlands.
Question: Have you taken any measures to prevent infection with the coronavirus? % yes
WHICH MEASURES ARE TAKEN
Easing of the social contact measures does appear to have changed some specific behaviours with more people being comfortable in the presence of others. At the same time, the proportion of people ‘staying at home as much as possible’ remains at high levels, despite the clear ‘stay at home’ message being dropped by the government.
HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
Over the last month, there have been many changes in government measures and the information it is giving out but these have not changed people’s attitudes. More strikingly, less than half of the UK believe the government is taking enough measures to prevent further spreading – which is significantly below the levels in Germany and the Netherlands where this figure is over 70%.
HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT THE MEDIA
When it comes to the media, around 1/3 of people find that the media is paying too much attention to the coronavirus, the figure dropping slightly from the last measurement.
CHANGING SPENDING behaviour
As an indication of the impact on the economy and reflecting low levels of consumer confidence, 50% say they are cutting back on expenditure. The next phase of lockdown easing will present more opportunities for consumers to spend as more shops open through June, but it remains to be seen if this will restore confidence.
BOOKING A HOLIDAY
It has become clear over the lockdown period that taking holidays this year will be a real challenge. That includes the prospect of having to bolt on additional time for being in quarantine on return to the UK if going abroad. 80% say they have changed holiday plans, cancelling or postponing. This will also help consumers reduce expenditure (once they get over the complications of getting refunds).
the best LIKED ADVERTISEMENT
In line with their key worker status, the most liked ads in the UK are from the NHS and Tesco. These are ads with a clear message on what they’re doing for the population, set behavioural expectations and evoke feelings of togetherness.
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RESEARCH METHOD DVJ INSIGHTS
The sample for this study consists of over 500 people per measurement. This number is large enough for reliable results. In addition, a representative sample by gender and age, education level and region were used. Based on this sampling method, we can state that the results represent the opinion of the United Kingdom as it was at the time of measurement.