Better hygiene has been ranked as one of the top positive outcomes of the Covid 19 pandemic, according to the latest research from life insurance broker, LifeSearch.
As part of its Health, Wealth & Happiness 2022 Index – commissioned with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) and supported by consumer insights from over 2,000 adults in the UK – LifeSearch asked Brits what they found to be the top negative and positive impacts of the pandemic.
Eight out of 10 Brits (79%) acknowledge that the pandemic did bring with it some positives. ‘Cutting spending/saving money’ (20%) was the top positive outcome among Brits overall – backed up by the fact that 28% of Brits saved money during the pandemic - followed by ‘fewer cars on the road / no rush hour’ (18%), and ‘better hygiene e.g. people cleaning their hands more’ (17%). In fact, women ranked better hygiene habits as the top positive outcome (20%), as did people from ethnic minority groups (26%).
The way people view which impacts are positive differ significantly by age. For example, ‘a slower pace of life’ is seen as one of the most positive impacts for over-55s (19%) but less so for under-35s (8%), while the ability to work from home was ranked highly for under-35s (16%) but considerably less so for older Brits (5%).
The negative outcomes were relatively consistent across age groups in the UK, with ‘not being able to see friends and family’ ranking top (48%) and highest in particular among women (55% vs 40% of men), followed by declining trust in Government and leadership (28%).
Not being able to travel abroad as often (23%) was third biggest consequence of Covid – which, with the current problems plaguing UK airports is still an issue for many – while having healthcare treatments and operations delayed, along with declining trust in the NHS were also ranked highly as negative consequences of the pandemic (both 15%).
However, amongst ethnic minority groups, the delay in healthcare did not even make the top five consequences – instead, the fear of getting covid at work (18%), children missing out on school (14%) and the impact of the pandemic on their ability to earn (13%) were seen as more serious outcomes. Interestingly, declining trust in Government was second – as it was among the wider UK population – with 26% saying this was a negative consequence of the pandemic, however increasing amongst ethnic minorities aged over 55-years-old (43%).
Emma Walker, Chief Marketing Officer at LifeSearch who commissioned the study said: “With the cost-of-living crisis impacting families now across the UK, the pandemic – and the restrictions it brought – may seem insignificant now, but our research shows that the changes we made at the time have had long term impacts on our lives – some for the better and some for the worse.
“For example, the fact that people were encouraged to wash their hands more, wear masks etc is seen as a pandemic positive for many, while the enforced ‘working from home’ has brought a number of impacts ranked highly positive by our respondents, including a shift towards flexible working, and fewer cars on the road – which, with fuel prices at an all-time high could be seen as an ongoing positive.
“Some of the negatives of the pandemic are still being felt today too, including delays for some in getting medical care as the NHS is still desperately fighting the huge backlogs caused by Covid-19.”
