The nature of people's concerns as a result of the pandemic has changed over the year. This page explores key themes and how they've developed.
How do callers' concerns link to coronavirus?
- The most common concerns raised in calls were similar, whether coronavirus was a specific concern or not.
- Calls related to loneliness were 2.4 times more likely to. Work or study, and finance and unemployment were most strongly associated with having concerns about coronavirus.
- Family, benefits, bereavement, and physical illness were also strongly associated with having concerns about coronavirus.
Likelihood of a call being related to coronavirus, by other caller concerns. This shows that calls where loneliness was raised were most likely to involve concerns about coronavirus. By contrast, calls where violence and abuse or sexuality were a concern were the least likely to involve concerns about coronavirus.
Below you can read about some of these concerns and how they have changed over the year since restrictions began.
The direct impact of coronavirus
The conversations we had with callers about coronavirus tended to mirror external events such as lockdowns and the public narrative about coronavirus.
People’s concerns about coronavirus have been mostly related to the knock-on effects of the social distancing restrictions, including economic and mental health worries. However, as coronavirus infection rates rise, we also hear from many callers concerned about the risks and the effects of being exposed to the virus.
Mental health
Mental ill-health was the most common concern in contacts to Samaritans during the year since restrictions began, raised in almost half (47%) of emotional support contacts (over 1 million contacts), which a slight increase compared to the previous year (45%).
Discussion of mental health fluctuated over the course of the year. It was a concern in a higher proportion of contacts than the previous year from March to November 2020, with the gap closing from November 2020 to March 2021, when it came up in a similar proportion of contacts.
Loneliness and isolation
Loneliness and isolation were a concern in 29% of emotional support contacts during the 12 months since restrictions began. This was a total of over 680,000 contacts and a 9% increase compared to the previous year.
Concerns about loneliness and isolation were also the strongest predictor of having concerns about coronavirus. Contacts concerning loneliness or isolation were 2.4 times more likely to involve specific concerns about coronavirus, compared to other contacts, even after adjusting for other factors.
Family
Family concerns were raised in a third of all emotional support contacts during the 12 months since restrictions began. This was a total of over 760,000 contacts, a similar number to the previous year.
Contacts concerning family were 40% more likely to involve specific concerns about coronavirus, compared to other contacts, even after adjusting for other factors.
Finance & unemployment
Work and study were raised in 10% of all emotional support contacts during the 12 months since restrictions began. This was a total of over 220,000 contacts, a reduction compared to the previous year. However, contacts concerning work and study were 80% more likely to involve specific concerns about coronavirus, compared to other contacts, even after adjusting for other factors.
Finances and unemployment were raised in 6% of all emotional support contacts during the 12 months since restrictions began. This was a total of over 140,000 contacts, a reduction compared to the previous year. However, contacts concerning finance and unemployment were almost 60% more likely to involve specific concerns about coronavirus, compared to other contacts, even after adjusting for other factors.
The above indicates that, while the overall number seeking emotional support for concerns about finances and work has not increased, those who do seek support are commonly experiencing concerns specifically linked to the pandemic.