The social impact of Covid-19

How has Covid-19 impacted the lives of individuals in the UK? Researchers at the Centre for Population Change have been working to uncover the ongoing impacts that lockdown and the pandemic have had on our lives, and the lives of the most vulnerable in society.

“2020 has seen a seismic shift in our way of life” comments CPC Director Professor Jane Falkingham OBE, “Where we live, who we care for, and the disproportionate impacts on BAME and other minority groups, are of utmost importance for policy makers to understand, so that they can make the right decisions to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Research conducted by the team at CPC contributes to shining a light on these issues.”

Summary of recent Covid-19 research from the Centre for Population Change:

• Stress for parents and their adult children as lockdown brings them back together under one roof
Younger adults and older family members often had to live together again during lockdown causing stress levels to rise, according to a new study from Maria Evandrou, Jane Falkingham, Min Qin and Athina Vlachantoni. Lockdown moves have been caused by school & university closures, remote working, furlough or loss of employment, or providing care and support to those ‘shielding’. Young people represented the majority of people doing the moving.

• Who's been losing sleep during lockdown?
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused sleeping difficulties for women with young children, key workers and people of BAME heritage, a new study from Jane Falkingham, Maria Evandrou, Min Qin and Athina Vlachantoni, has found. The study has revealed that sleep loss is affecting more people during the Covid-19 pandemic, reflecting rising stress levels due to anxieties about health, financial consequences, changes in social life and daily routine, all of which may affect sleep.

• Care homes in England saw highest increase in excess deaths from Covid-19
Care homes in England experienced the highest increase in excess deaths at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic compared with those in the rest of the UK, according to new research. The study, led by CPC researcher Professor David Bell has found that care homes in England recorded a 79 percent increase in excess deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Does our household type put us at more risk from the effects of Covid-19?
Access to outdoor space, overcrowding, precarious finances and insecure employment are all factors which can cause households to be more vulnerable to the effects of Covid-19. New research by CPC members Julia Mikolai, Katherine Keenan and Hill Kulu, at the Population and Health Research Group at University of St Andrews, found that certain types of households were particularly at risk of both short and long-term socio-economic or health problems which could be made worse by the virus.

• Covid-19 spells trouble for millions of couples as study finds unemployment damages relationships
Spells of unemployment can damage romantic relationships in both the short- and long- term, and are particularly disruptive for women, a recent study from Brienna Perelli-Harris and Niels Blom has found.

• CPC Policy Briefing 54: How has the Covid-19 crisis impacted parents’ relationships with their children?
While the Covid-19 crisis may have created unprecedented challenges for parents and children, it appears to have strengthened relationships for many families. However, families who are worse-off are less likely to report positive interactions. Brienna Perelli-Harris and Sandra Walzenbach use data from Understanding Society surveys to analyse the views of over 5,500 parents.

• CPC Policy Briefing 52: Older and home alone in lockdown: how has support from family, friends and neighbours changed?
This paper from Maria Evandrou, Jane Falkingham, Min Qin and Athina Vlachantoni provides the first insight into the receipt of help and support amongst older people aged 70 and over during the first four weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown when this group had been explicitly advised to stay at home and minimise contact with others.

• Caring in the time of Covid-19
CPC research has found that becoming an unpaid carer for family or friends can be damaging to employment and earnings. What does the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s uncertain periods of lockdown mean for unpaid carers? Athina Vlachantoni, Zhixin Frank Feng, Ning Wang, Maria Evandrou and Jane Falkingham, found that informal carers often face precarious situations when it comes to employment and being financially stable.

• COVID-19 deaths by ethnic group, the role of co-morbidities
Maria Evandrou, Jane Falkingham, Zhixin Feng, and Athina Vlachantoni found that older people from ethnic minorities report poorer health outcomes, even after controlling for social and economic disadvantages. Their paper, 'Ethnic inequalities in limiting health and self-reported health in later life revisited', uses Understanding Society data to shed light on a relatively under-researched area by exploring self-reported health in persons aged 60 years and over.

• Remote and rural communities could be hit hardest by Covid-19
Death rates from Covid-19 could be between 50% and 80% higher in rural communities and remote small towns, according to a study by CPC members at the University of St Andrews.
The study by Hill Kulu and Peter Dorey investigates the contribution of population age structure to mortality from Covid-19 in the UK by geographical units.

• The global battle against coronavirus
CPC Associate, Sabu Padmadas, has been monitoring the global response to Covid-19 in his role as Founding Co-Director of The India Centre for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development at the University of Southampton.

For some more in-depth articles on research CPC findings, events and publications, read our latest newsletter Changing Populations. Find our previous summary of CPC Covid-19 research in our latest news section.

Circumstances are, of course, changing very quickly at the moment so, to keep you updated on our latest Covid-19 research and responses, we have created a dedicated section on the CPC website.

Posted 17/09/2020 17:48