Distinguished from the other groups by being happier with various aspects of their lives now than they were before Covid struck:.Sit between the other two groups in terms of how comfortable they feel about resuming various activities.Around two-thirds say they might not return to normal life because they can save money by not doing so (67%) and because they are happy not meeting as many people as they used to (69%).A majority say they don’t want to go back to their pre-pandemic life (57%), and that they could be stopped from doing so because they like to work from home (57%).Most content with their lives under lockdown and therefore most reluctant to go back to normal:.They are also the highest-earning, with 53% on a household income of over £35,000 a year, and the group with the biggest share of Remainers (58%). The most highly educated group – 43% have a university degree – and the most middle-class, with 64% in social class ABC1.

The smallest of the three groups, comprising around one in seven people in the UK, and majority-female (56%).

73% heavily prioritise controlling the spread of Covid over protecting civil liberties, compared with 63% of the Content and 52% of the Keen who feel the same.

Most likely of the groups to be dissatisfied with their social life during the pandemic compared with how it was before, with 61% feeling this way.

Just 9% would be happy to go to large public events and 12% would be relaxed about going abroad on holiday.

Least likely of the groups to feel comfortable about resuming various activities:.

They are the only group with a majority who say that new strains of Covid (74%), a desire not to catch the virus (79%), and a belief that not enough people have been vaccinated (55%) could stop them returning to their pre-pandemic life.

Most concerned about the restrictions lifting because they believe the rules are still necessary to protect public health, and reluctant to return to normality:.

Disproportionately female (56% vs 44%), with more Remainers (55%) than Leavers (45%), and the group with the highest share (58%) of households earning less than £35k a year.

Second-largest of the three groups, amounting to around a third of the population.

More likely than the other groups to think we should prioritise civil liberties over fighting Covid.

Seven in 10 say they’ll feel comfortable visiting family and friends or going to a shop, and six in 10 say the same about getting a haircut or beauty treatment.

And 35% would be relaxed about going abroad for their holidays – around twice the share of the other groups who feel this way.

37% would comfortable attending large public gatherings such as sport or music events – almost three times the proportion of the two other groups combined who say the same.

50% are comfortable with the idea of going to the pub – compared with 30% of the Content and 24% of the Concerned.

Most relaxed about the prospect of resuming certain activities once allowed:.

Not a single member of the other two groups says the same.

47% say there is no reason that could make them not want to go back.Just 6% say not enough people being vaccinated could make them not want to return to normality – compared with 55% of the Concerned and 32% of the Content who feel this way.Keenest of the three groups to return to normal life and least likely to have concerns about doing so:.Disproportionately male (54% vs 46%) – unlike the other groups – and the only group made up of more Leavers (55%) than Remainers (45%). By far the largest of the three groups, representing around half the UK population.The study was carried out by King’s College London, the University of Bristol and the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, and is based on Ipsos MORI survey data. The UK population is made up of three distinct groups, each with different levels of concern and eagerness about going back to normal life after the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study has found.Īnalysis of survey data from 1 to 16 April reveals the groups – named the Keen, the Concerned and the Content – vary according to their reasons for not wanting to return to pre-Covid life, how comfortable they think they will feel resuming various activities once they are allowed, their life satisfaction during lockdown, and their views on the need to fight Covid versus protecting civil liberties.

People coming back to life after covid