Worries about finances outstrip concerns about catching Covid-19

More people are now more worried about their finances (38%), than catching Covid-19 (33%), find UCL researchers as part of the Covid-19 Social Study. The proportion of people concerned about finances is up from 32% in January 2022 - the highest level since the start of the pandemic two years ago - and likely reflects the pressures felt by the 'cost of living crisis'. Further, in March 2022 fewer people felt in control of their finances (56%), compared to October 2021 (63%). Working-age adults were twice as likely to report concerns about this than those who were older. Concerns about catching or becoming ill from Covid-19 are down from 40% in January. This is despite cases of Covid-19 being higher now than in January and hospital admissions and deaths are on a par. There has also been a drop in happiness and life satisfaction levels month-on-month since the summer of 2021.