'I find it so depressing': readers on UK election news

As the general election looms, life can feel saturated by news, with social media morphing into a personalised political battlefield.

From the climate crisis to the NHS, few stones remain unturned as politicians compete to offer the most attractive package of policies, and the most damning condemnation of their opponents.

Alongside all this is Brexit, which has remained a permanent fixture in British political discourse for more than three years, and shows no sign of waning.

Responding to a call-out to Guardian readers about the impact of news, respondents overwhelming reported feeling “depressed” and “hopeless” about current affairs, with some saying it had deeply impacted their mental health.

“It really brings my mood down and makes me feel quite apathetic,” said Chekere Ullanda, 26, from Sheffield. “It feels like there’s no point caring – whatever I do, nothing will change. I used to be politically active, but over the past three years I’ve felt I just don’t want to be involved any more.”

Ullanda’s words were echoed throughout different age groups, backgrounds and regions.

Hilary Haskell, 75, from Oxford, said she was deeply concerned by the “extreme” politics on the rise in Britain. “Politics has gone to hell in a handcart in terms of reasonable discussion,” she said. “We’re turning into a very nasty, introverted little nation.

“I’m really glad I’m the age I am and I haven’t got many more years,” she added. “My daughter decided not to have kids, and actually I’m pleased, because it’s that generation that I feel very sorry for.”

Paul Cargill, 35, simply said he felt “despair”. “When did we stop caring about the people around us?” he asked.

Distrust of the media was a recurrent theme, with the fear of fake news leaving people unsure which sources they could consider reliable. Many said they used Twitter as their primary news source, which offers quick access to breaking news.

“I do think there’s a huge problem with a lot of publications and news outlets,” said Bryony, 26, from Salford. “With Facebook, a lot of the articles shared have fake news on them, and the websites look very professional and mislead people. Headlines are misleading too – often they aren’t specifically lying, but they’re very misleading.”

Facebook launched its fact-checking tools in the UK in January, when it partnered with Full Fact to give the charity access to a service that allows it to mark stories as true, false, satire, and so on. News marked as false is given reduced distribution on the platform, but Facebook has come under fire for refusing to allow Full Fact to do the same fact-checking on politicians’ statements and adverts on the platform.

Bryony felt that this election was much worse than others, and said this was largely due to Brexit.

“I watch news, read news, listen to news … It’s never bothered me before. But with Brexit, it’s the same old drivel, and I find it so depressing. With other elections you expected some tit-for-tat, but with this election there’s something [depressing] every day.”

Annie Hassall, a 20-year-old student at the University of Worcester, said she felt she needed to question whether you can believe what you’re reading.

“I think it certainly contributes to the anxiety, because you’re not sure you can trust what you’re reading. There are so many sources and you don’t know which are affiliated to which political party, and which are trustworthy.”

For many people who contacted the Guardian, the disillusionment with news and current affairs led to feelings of apathy and disillusionment, as they failed to find politicians who represented them, or who they felt could deliver on promises.

Some said the stress of current affairs had a direct impact on their physical wellbeing.

One 72-year-old reader said they could not watch news channels or listen to news on the radio because it caused a spike in blood pressure.

For others, however, the political landscape provided a call to arms, and many readers of all ages said they felt motivated to act. At the age of 75, Haskell recently decided to join the Liberal Democrats, and she and her husband remain involved in local council issues.

Hassall said she had recently joined the Labour party. “I just thought, I can’t sit and watch this and not try to have some sort of effect. I can’t just let it happen.”