Understanding Society launched a new Covid-19 survey in April 2020 in addition to our annual survey, collecting new data over 9 waves till September 2021. Together these data are providing valuable analysis on how different groups in society have been affected by the pandemic and how they have responded, particularly given that their circumstances, vulnerabilities, assets and challenges were vastly different. Some inequalities have narrowed, others widened, and some are unclear given the ongoing effects of the pandemic – which have also become entangled with the effects of Brexit.
Revealing detailed analysis on the pandemic, the Insights 2022 Report is being launched alongside a programme of policy events, focusing on three topics:
- The mental health ‘legacy’ of Covid19
- Did furlough help and protect?
- Children in the pandemic
THE MENTAL HEALTH ‘LEGACY’ OF COVID19
The impact of the pandemic on mental health has been a matter of intense interest, with reports of improvements in some groups and deterioration in others. A huge range of factors, from being a keyworker, being infected, pressures of paying bills to shielding, being a carer, relationship quality and extent of social contact, have been driving people’s mental health. This event will discuss how the picture has been changing over time, what we are learning, and how we can get better at recovery and improving mental health.
09.30 – 09.35 Welcome and Introductions
Chair: Raj Patel, Associate Director of Policy, Understanding Society
09.35 – 09.55 Mental health before and during the Covid-19 pandemic
Professor Tamsin Ford, University of Cambridge
09.55 – 10.15 Older people, seeing family, and mental health during the pandemic
Dr Yang Hu, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Data Science, Lancaster University
10.15 – 10.30 Policy reflections
Lucy Thorpe, Head of Policy at the Mental Health Foundation.
10.30 – 10.55 Q&A – led by Chair
10.55 – 11.00 Summary and Close – Chair
