COVID-19 - Our Lives Five Years On: Social Impact

Changes in Consumption

Survey respondents were asked how, if at all, their consumption of alcohol, junk food and sweets, and their frequency of exercise has changed since COVID-19 restrictions were first introduced in March 2020.  These questions had previously been asked as part of the Social Impact of COVID-19 Surveys in April 2020, five weeks after COVID-19 restrictions had been introduced and five months after in November 2020. Respondents were also asked whether the amount of time spent on social media has changed since before the pandemic and whether they believe this impacts on their mental health.

For each consumption item (alcohol, junk food and sweets, exercise and social media) respondents could answer 'Increased', 'Decreased', 'No change' and could also indicate that they did not partake in the behaviour.  Please note that respondents of this survey were all aged 18 years and over and the question regarding alcohol consumption was limited to respondents aged 22 and over. Results outlined below are limited to those who partake in the behaviour.

Alcohol

More than one in five (22%) respondents report their alcohol consumption is higher now than before March 2020.  This proportion is relatively unchanged from the results of both the April and November 2020 Social Impact of COVID-19 surveys (22% and 21% respectively). However, nearly than one in three (32 %) respondents report they have Decreased alcohol consumption compared with more than one in four (27%) of November 2020 respondents and one in six (17%) respondents in April 2020.  See figure 5.1.

Nearly one in four (23%) male respondents say their alcohol consumption has Increased since the implementation of COVID-19 restrictions compared with one in five (20%) of female respondents. Relatively similar proportions of male and female respondents report their alcohol consumption has Decreased since March 2020, 33% and 31% respectively, while almost a half (49%) female respondents say their consumption has not changed compared with 43% of male respondents. See table 5.1.

One-third (33%) of younger respondents, i.e. those aged 22 to 29, say their alcohol consumption has Increased since the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 while 40% of this age group report a reduction in their consumption and nearly three in ten (27%) report No change.  In contrast to this, older respondents report least change in consumption levels than other age groups with 62% of respondents aged 70 and over stating No change to their pre-COVID -19 drinking habits. Just over one in eight (13%) of this age group report that their alcohol consumption has Increased since early 2020. See figure 5.2 and table 5.1.

Junk Food and Sweets

Of respondents who say they eat junk food and sweets, 33% report an increase, 19% report a decrease, and 48% report No change in their consumption of junk food and sweets since COVID-19 restrictions were introduced.  See table 5.2.

Female respondents are more likely (36%) to report an increase in consumption of junk food and sweets compared with men (30%) while male respondents are more likely to report a decrease (23% compared with 16% for females).  See figure 5.3 and table 5.2.

The proportion of respondents who state their consumption of junk food and sweets has Increased since before COVID-19 restrictions were introduced declines with age.  Less than half (46%) of respondents aged 18-29 say their consumption of junk food and sweets has Increased since pre-pandemic levels compared with 15% of those aged 70 and over. Nearly seven in ten (68%) respondents in the eldest age group report No change in their consumption of junk food and sweets while only three in ten (31%) in the youngest age group report similarly. See figure 5.4 and table 5.2.

More than four in ten (42%) respondents who rate their health as fair/bad/very bad report their consumption of junk food and sweets has Increased since pre-pandemic levels. This proportion is considerably higher than those who rate their health as good (33%) and very good (25%).

Respondents who rate their household’s current financial situation as bad are more likely to report that their consumption of junk food and sweets has Increased. This figure is 46% compared with 28% of those that describe their household’s current financial situation as good.

Exercise

Responses were evenly split for survey participants who say they exercise:  one-third (33%) say their frequency of exercise has Increased since before COVID-19 restrictions were introduced in March 2020, one-third (33%) say it has Decreased, and one-third (34%) report No change. See table 5.3.

There is little difference in responses when analysed by sex.

Analysis by age shows that younger respondents are most likely to report that their frequency of exercising has Increased since pre-COVID levels.  More than four in ten (43%) respondents aged 18-29 state they exercise more frequently now, while more than one-third (36%) say they exercise less frequently, and one in five (21%) report No change. Older respondents are more likely to report No change in their exercise frequency, with more than two in five (44%) of those aged 70 and over and 41% of those aged 60-69 reporting No change. Equal proportions (28%) of those aged 70 and over say their exercise frequency has both Increased and Decreased. See figure 5.5 and table 5.3.

Employee respondents who work remotely from home now but didn’t prior to the onset of the pandemic are more likely to report their frequency of exercising has Increased since early 2020. Four in ten employees who work from home (41% of those work remotely from home for at least half the working week from home, and 38% of those who work remotely at least one day a week) report their frequency of exercising has Increased. The comparable figure for employees who do not work from home is 29%. See figure 5.6 and table 5.3.

More than four in ten (43%) respondents who rate their own health as very good say their frequency of exercising has Increased since the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. This is almost double the proportion for respondents who rate their health as fair/bad/very bad (22%). Nearly half (49%) of respondents with poorer health state that their frequency of exercising has Decreased since early 2020.

Respondents who describe their household’s current financial situation as good are most likely to report their frequency of exercising has Increased since pre-COVID levels with nearly two in five (38%) stating they exercise more often. In contrast to this, just under half (49%) of respondents who describe their household’s financial situation as bad say their frequency of exercising has Decreased.

Social Media

Respondents were asked to compare the amount of time they spend on social media now compared with the amount of time spent before COVID-19 restrictions were introduced. Of those that use social media, six in ten (61%) report that their use has Increased, less than one in ten (8%) said it has Decreased, while three in ten (31%) report No change. See table 5.4.

Female respondents are more likely to say that the amount of time they spend on social media has Increased, 64% compared with 57% for male respondents.

Analysis by age shows that those in the youngest age groups, i.e. those aged 18-29, are more likely to report an increase in the time they spend on social media when compared with respondents of other ages. Seven in ten (69%) of this age group who use social media report an increase in the time they spend on social media compared with 53% of social media users who are aged 70 years or older. The proportion of respondents who say their use of social media has Decreased ranges from 5% (for those aged 70 and over) to 11% (for those aged 30 to 39). See figure 5.7 and table 5.4.

Respondents that said they use social media were also asked whether the time they spend on social media has an impact on their mental health. Response options were ‘Yes, a Positive impact’, ‘Yes, a Negative impact’ and ‘No impact’.

Analysis by sex alone demonstrates that there is little difference on how social media affects men and women. Less than 8% of both male and female respondents say that social media has had a Positive impact on their mental health. More than 40% of both sexes say it has had a Negative impact while half of both male and female respondents say that social media has not impacted on their mental health. See table 5.5.

Younger respondents are most likely to report that social media impacts on their mental health. Seven in ten (70%) respondents aged 18-29 state social media impacts on their mental health with nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents in this age group stating that it impacts on them negatively.  In contrast to this, three-quarters (75%) of respondents aged 70 and over who use social media report it has No impact on their mental health. This age group has the highest proportion (14%) of respondents reporting a Positive impact on their mental health and lowest proportion (11%) reporting a Negative impact. See figure 5.9 and table 5.5.