Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom has had far-reaching consequences in the country that go beyond the spread of the disease itself and efforts to quarantine it, including political, cultural, and social implications.
Events[edit]
On 23 March, Pride in London, the UK's largest LGBT Pride festival, scheduled for 27 June, was postponed. It was one of more than a hundred pride events to be postponed or cancelled in the UK.[88] On 3 April, Brighton Pride, scheduled for Saturday 1 August, was cancelled.[89]
On 6 April the Orange Lodge of Ireland announced that the traditional Twelfth of July parades in Northern Ireland had been cancelled.[90]
The national VE Day 75th anniversary events planned for 8 to 10 May were cancelled.[91]
Royal family[edit]
On 19 March, the 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II left London for Windsor Castle.[214] On the same day she issued a message to the nation noting that the country and the world were entering a period of great concern and uncertainty.[215] On 5 April 2020 the Queen gave a televised address watched by 23.97 million people.[216][217] The Queen additionally recorded an audio message for Easter Saturday, in which she spoke of hope and said "coronavirus will not overcome us".[218][219] The annual gun salute and Trooping the Colour to mark the Queen's birthday were cancelled for the first time.[220][221]
In March, Prince Charles greeted people with a namaste gesture instead of a handshake at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey and the Prince's Trust Awards.[222] On 10 March, Charles met Albert II, Prince of Monaco, who later was diagnosed with the infection.[223] On 25 March, Charles tested positive and self-isolated at Birkhall on the Balmoral Castle estate.[224][225] Concerns were raised for the health of the entire royal family, as well as concerns that he may have unwittingly become a super-spreader of the disease due to the vast number of people he regularly meets. Charles last saw the Queen on 12 March, one day before the earliest date medical experts believed he would have been contagious.[223] The Duchess of Cornwall tested negative, but self-isolated.[224][225] On 30 March Clarence House, the Prince's official residence, confirmed that he had come out of self-isolation after seven days having recovered from the illness.[226][227] The Prince released a video message on 1 April in support of Age UK.[228] Charles remotely opened the Nightingale hospital at the ExCeL on 3 April, which was the first time any member of the royal family had opened something remotely.[229] On 6 April, the Duchess came out of self-isolation after showing no symptoms for 14 days.[230]
Princes William and Harry both sent messages out via social media in response to the pandemic on 19 March.[231] The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge supported a PHE campaign to protect people's mental health.[232] William remotely opened the Nightingale Hospital at the National Exhibition Centre on 16 April.[233] Prince William allowed land at Kensington Palace to be used for refuelling air ambulances.[234] The Duchess of Cambridge launched a new initiative with the National Portrait Gallery called "Hold Still", to highlight heroes and helpers and acts of kindness.[235][236] The Royal Foundation launched a mental health initiative called "Our Frontline".[237] Prince Philip issued a rare statement on 20 April, in which he thanked key workers.[238][239] The Countess of Wessex and Princess Eugenie helped charities in preparing and delivering food to NHS staff amidst the pandemic.[240][241] Sarah, Duchess of York's foundation the Sarah's Trust helped with providing aid for NHS, care home and hospice staff by delivering more than 150,000 items, including food, masks, scrubs, and toiletries.[242] The Duke of Cambridge also volunteered for the crisis helpline Shout 85258, providing anonymous mental support via text message to people during the lockdown.[243]
Further royal events in May and June were scaled back or cancelled including Princess Beatrice's wedding.[244][245][246][247]
Sociological research[edit]
In March 2020, UK Research and Innovation announced[248] the launch of a website to explain the scientific evidence and the facts about the virus, the disease, the epidemic, and its control, in a bid to dispel misinformation. The editorial team come from University of Oxford, European Bioinformatics Institute, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, University of Glasgow and King's College London.[249]
Research carried out by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford concluded that of 225 examples false or misleading claims about coronavirus 88% of the claims had appeared on social media platforms, with 9% of the claims on television and 8% in news outlets.[250][251] One such claim about 5G mobile phone masts which began on social media, ended up with arson attacks on masts.[252] A YouGov survey for the Institute concluded that 54% of the people polled thought that the UK government was doing a good job of responding to the pandemic. A quarter of those surveyed felt that the pandemic had been exaggerated by the media indicating that criticism could be eroding trust.[253][254][255] An earlier Sky News survey also concluded that people surveyed thought that the media were being overly critical of the government.[255][256] The Sky News survey simply asked the public about trust in journalists. Polls by YouGov, the Reuters Institute, Survation, Ipsos MORI and research by Ofcom, concluded that broadcasters and newspapers were widely considered to be the most trusted sources of information on pandemic.[255] According to research from Ofcom, the BBC was the most trusted broadcaster on the pandemic, followed by ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5.[257][255] The newspapers The Guardian, Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Times were ranked with trust levels similar to that of the television broadcasters during the pandemic.[255][258] A survey by YouGov for the Reuters Institute concluded that the BBC's output dominated online news coverage in the UK with 36% of the population saying that they had been on the corporation's website to consume news. Around 16% polled said that they had visited The Guardian's website, with Sky News and MailOnline in joint third place with 9% of those polled saying that they had visited their sites.[258] A few weeks after the start of the pandemic Reuters Institute and Ofcom both said that people were actively trying to avoid the news coverage about it.[258][255]
A study by a team of researchers from the University of Sheffield and Ulster University concluded that young men were more likely to break lockdown rules than women. The study concluded that those suffering from depression were more likely to break the rules. Around half of the participants said that they felt anxious during the restrictions. The team called on the government to issue better target messages for young people.[259] According to data from the National Police Chiefs' Council, two-thirds of the people who were issued fines for breaking lockdown rules in England and Wales, between 27 March and 27 April, were between the ages of 18 and 34. Approximately eight out of 10 of those who were issued fines were men.[105]
Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies concluded that children from wealthy homes were spending more time studying at home when compared to those from the poorest households.[260]
The impact of restrictions and their subsequent easing was also felt in the heritage sector, with a noticeable change in visitor behaviour.[261]