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

Respondents were asked who they usually lived with when COVID-19 related restrictions on movement were in place and whether the people they lived with are still alive. If those people are still alive, the survey respondent was asked what impact (if any) the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their current relationship with the people they lived with at that time. Questions were limited to familial relationships only (i.e. partner/spouse, child(ren), sibling(s) (sister(s)/brother(s)), mother and father) wherever relevant. Response options were ‘Positive impact’, ‘Negative impact’, ‘No impact’ and ‘Can’t say/Don’t know’.

Relationship with a Partner/Spouse

More than one in four (27%) respondents report that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a Positive impact on their current relationship with their partner/spouse. One in six (17%) say it has negatively impacted their current relationship with their partner/spouse, while almost half (49%) feel it has had No impact. See figure 2.1 and table 2.1.

Analysis by sex shows that both male and female respondents have similar responses.

Stability within relationships increases with age with older respondents most likely to report that the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted their current relationship with their partner/spouse. Almost 62% of those aged 70 and over report No impact compared with 25% of respondents aged 18-29. Respondents aged 30-39 are the age cohort most likely (40%) to report a Positive impact on their current relationship with their partner/spouse, while those aged 18 to 29 are most likely (25%) to feel that their relationship with their partner/spouse has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. See figure 2.2 and table 2.1.

Respondents were asked to rate the financial situation of their household in early 2020, with six possible responses ranging from very good to very bad. For this release, the responses have been re-grouped into three categories: Good (very good & good), moderate (moderately good & moderately bad), and bad (bad & very bad).

Almost four in ten (38%) respondents who rated their financial situation in 2020 as bad report that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a Negative impact on their current relationship with their partner/spouse. This compares with over one in eight (13%) of those who rated their financial situation as good. More than half (52%) of respondents who rated their financial situation as good report No impact on their spousal/partner relationship compared with one in four (27%) of those who rated it as bad. See figure 2.3 and table 2.1.

Employees who did not usually work from home prior to March 2020 were asked about their current working arrangements and what proportion of their working week they usually work remotely from home, if applicable. 

Four in ten (40%) respondents who started working remotely from home since the onset of the pandemic at least half their working week say the COVID-19 pandemic has had a Positive impact on their current relationship with their partner/spouse compared with less than one in four (23%) employees who do not usually work from home. One in five (20%) employees whose working arrangements have not changed (i.e. did not usually work from home before the onset of the pandemic and do not currently work from home) feel that the pandemic has had a Negative impact on their relationship with their partner/spouse. The comparable rate for those who now work remotely from home at least half their working week is 15%. See figure 2.4 and table 2.1.

Relationship with Children

Nearly four in ten (38%) respondents whose children were living with them in 2020 believe the pandemic has had a Positive impact on their current relationship with their children. A similar proportion (41%) report No impact and one in eight (12%) believe the pandemic has had a Negative impact on their current relationship with their children. See figure 2.5 and table 2.2.

There were no substantial differences in the responses of mothers or fathers who were living with their children during the restrictions.

Respondents who describe their health as fair/bad/very bad are twice as likely to report that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a Negative impact on their current relationship with their children than those that described their health as very good (18% compared with 9%).

Exactly half (50%) of employee respondents with children, who started working remotely from home since the onset of the pandemic and who now spend at least half their working week working from home, report that the pandemic has had a Positive impact on current their relationship with their children. This figure is more than one in three (35%) for employees who do not usually work from home. One in eight (13%) of this cohort report a Negative impact compared with one in twelve (8%) for those that work remotely in some capacity. See figure 2.6 and table 2.2.

One in four (24%) respondents who rated their household’s financial situation in early 2020 as bad report that the pandemic has negatively impacted their current relationship with their children. This compares with one in ten (10%) of those who rated their financial situation as good at that time. More well-off respondents are most likely to report the pandemic has had either No impact (42%) or a Positive impact (40%) on their current relationship with their children. See table 2.2.

Relationship with Siblings

More than four in ten (43%) respondents who lived with their sibling(s) during the various COVID-19 lockdowns report No impact on their current relationship. Just over one in three (34%) report a Positive impact while one in seven (14%) report a Negative impact. See figure 2.7 and table 2.3.

Relationship with Mothers

Almost 44% of respondents that lived with their mother during the pandemic believe the pandemic has had No impact on their relationship. Three in ten (30%) report it has had a Positive impact, while more than on in six (18%) report a Negative impact.

Sons are more likely to respond that their relationship with their mother has not been impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions while daughters are more likely to report both a Positive impact (33% compared with 28% for males) and a Negative impact (20% compared with 15%) on their relationship with their mother. See figure 2.8 and table 2.4.

Relationship with Fathers

Responses of respondents who lived with their father during the pandemic are very similar for those who lived with their mother during this period. Almost half (47%) of respondents who lived with their father believe it has had No impact on their current relationship. Three in ten (29%) believe it has had Positive impact while more than one in six (18%) believe it has had a Negative impact. See table 2.5.

Analysis by sex of respondents shows that sons and daughters have very similar perceptions of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their current relationship with their father.