Nearly half of adults have experienced discrimination during Covid-19 pandemic

Nearly half of adults (44%) reported having experienced some kind of discrimination since the start of the pandemic*, find UCL researchers as part of the Covid-19 Social Study. Having been treated with less courtesy or respect than others was the most common type of discrimination (28%), followed by having been threatened or harassed (14%), having had people act as if they were afraid of them (13%), and having received poorer service for deliveries/in stores (12%) or in a medical setting (11%). People from ethnic minority groups (61% vs 41% of people not from a minority ethnic group) and younger adults (60% of those aged 18-30 vs 29% of people aged 60+) were most likely to have experienced discrimination. Such experiences were also higher amongst women (48% vs men 39%) and more common in urban areas (45% vs 40% reported in rural areas). It is the UK's largest study into how adults are feeling about the lockdown, government advice and overall wellbeing and mental health with over 70,000 participants who have been followed across the last 76 weeks. Lead author, Dr Elise Paul (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health) said: "Our report shows a worrying increase in discriminatory behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic. There are numerous possible causes for this, including news coverage implying certain groups are less likely to have been vaccinated, to be following rules, or more likely to be carrying the virus.