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Coronavirus: Revealing graphs show how lockdown has affected our happiness

Jimmy Nsubuga
Updated ·2-min read
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: A general view of a deserted Oxford Street on April 17, 2020 in London, England. In a press conference on Thursday, First Secretary of State Dominic Raab announced that the lockdown will remain in place for at least 3 more weeks. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 130,000 lives and infecting more than 2 million people. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
A deserted Oxford Street, London, during lockdown. (Getty)

A revealing graph from YouGov has shown how the coronavirus lockdown has affected happiness, boredom and stress levels in the UK.

Brits have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions since Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown on 23 March.

New data shows the country was at its lowest point shortly after the restrictions were announced.

Happiness levels were at 25% late last month but have since climbed back up to 38%.

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Brits have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions since lockdown (Picture: YouGov)
Brits have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions since lockdown. (YouGov)
The happiness level in the UK is currently at 38% (Picture: YouGov)
The happiness level in the UK is currently at 38%. (YouGov)
Brits have been really bored during the lockdown (Picture: YouGov)
Brits have been really bored during the lockdown. (YouGov)
Frustration was also measured in the poll (Picture: YouGov)
Frustration was also measured in the poll. (YouGov)

The British people were also at their least optimistic in March at 16% but this has since risen to 20%.

Stress levels have remained high over the past few weeks, peaking at 50% in March.

The questionnaire also revealed boredom and loneliness were at around their highest levels in the last three months at 39% and 20% respectively.

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But people are feeling less scared now, with 21% people admitting they were afraid on Tuesday compared to 36% in late March.

However, the nation is still sad, with levels currently at 30%.

In total, around 2,000 respondents every week in the UK are asked by YouGov: “Broadly speaking, which of the following best describe your mood and/or how you have felt in the past week.”

At the beginning of the fourth week of the UK government's lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic, and with 120,067 UK reported cases with 16,060 deaths, a traffic arrow points right on Oxford Street that would normally be a busy thoroughfare for shoppers and traffic and which remains largely deserted at mid-day, on 20th April 2020, in London, England. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
The lockdown has been extended by three weeks. (Getty)

The UK extended its lockdown last Thursday as stand-in leader and foreign secretary Dominic Raab ordered Britons to stay at home for at least another three weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The announcement, which had been widely expected, means Britons must stay at home unless they are shopping for basic necessities, or meeting medical needs.

They are allowed to exercise in public once a day and can travel to work if they are unable to work from home.

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The measures were initially announced on 23 March for an initial three-week period.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove denied earlier this week that the government was considering lifting the lockdown in phases over the coming months after a report from BuzzFeed.

He told Sky News: “The facts and the advice are clear at the moment that we should not be thinking of lifting these restrictions yet.”

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