UK mental health worsening as pandemic fatigue sets in amid the winter gloom

Four in 10 people say they are now exercising less than in the first lockdown - a fifth are now watching more TV and playing online games

A fifth of people say they are now watching more television, films and playing online games
A fifth of people say they are now watching more television, films and playing online games Credit: Ina Fassbender/AFP

Britain’s first lockdown flew past in a flurry of banana bread, Zoom zumba classes and Instagrammable walks.

Roll forward nine months and people are ditching their mixing bowls and abandoning exercise plans in droves, as virus fatigue and the winter gloom take their toll. 

University College London (UCL) has been following 70,000 Britons through the coronavirus pandemic and has found a marked change in behaviour since the March lockdown.

Four in 10 people say they are now exercising less than in the first lockdown, and a fifth say they are now watching more television, films and playing online games.

Hobbies have also been renounced, with around one third of people saying they have reduced their involvement in arts, crafts, gardening and DIY.

Volunteering has also decreased, with 36 per cent spending less time volunteering and just 13 per cent increasing their volunteering during the current lockdown.

Lead author, Dr Daisy Fancourt, associate professor at UCL's Institute of Epidemiology and Health, said: “It is not surprising that the current lockdown has seen fewer people exercising than the first, taking place as it does during the winter months, but this is still a cause for concern as exercise can boost not just physical, but also mental wellbeing.

“The reduction in time spent on hobbies and volunteering can partially be explained by the increased time spent working, but also hints that the novelty of increased free time that came with the first lockdown has worn thin among much of the population, with many turning towards television and gaming to fill their time.

“This is further reflected in the lower levels of happiness during the current lockdown, another sign that many people are finding this lockdown much tougher than the first and are now more focused on coping with their current circumstances, rather than attempting to find ways to enjoy them.”

More worryingly, the researchers found that the behavioural changes have occurred alongside worsening mental health, and decreased levels of happiness.

In spite of the vaccine roll-out and better drugs, people are feeling more miserable than last April.

People surveyed were asked to what extent they felt happy in the past week on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (completely), with the average in the past week being 5.6, versus 5.8 in April.

Life satisfaction has also continued to deteriorate, with levels now comparable to those near the start of lockdown in Spring 2020. 

Almost half (45 per cent) of people are now worried about catching or becoming seriously ill from Covid-19; the highest level since the middle of the first lockdown back in April.

The study is the largest looking into how adults are feeling about the lockdown, Government advice and overall well-being and mental health with more than 70,000 participants who have been followed across the past 44 weeks.

However, in spite of the gloom, compliance with the rules has continued increasing since Christmas across the latest lockdown, and is now as high as it was at the end of the strict lockdown in the UK in May 2020. 

‘Majority’ compliance is being reported by 97 per cent of people – a continued improvement across all demographic groups – while ‘complete’ compliance is being reported by 60 per cent of people.

Cheryl Lloyd, education programme head at the Nuffield Foundation, which is helping to fund the research, said: “This week’s findings highlight the mental health impact of the current Covid-19 lockdown with people reporting worsening levels of depression and anxiety, along with lower levels of life satisfaction. 

“Some groups are more at risk than others including women, those on lower incomes and people from ethnic minority backgrounds. 

“With lockdown set to continue for the foreseeable future, it is crucial that efforts are made to ensure people know how to access mental health support and that this support is available to those who need it.”

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