The Social Impact of COVID-19 surveys were undertaken to measure the impact COVID-19 has had on Irish society since 2020. The results presented from these surveys have been weighted to best reflect the population. Due to time and resource constraints, there were limitations on the sample size and selection methodology. Consequently, caution must be exercised when making inferences to the entire population from these results. Nonetheless, this data provides a valuable insight into the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of many people in Ireland.
Where available, personal satisfaction and well-being data collected in the Social Impact of COVID-19 survey is compared to data collected through the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) in 2013 and 2018. While the methodologies of the two surveys differ, the corresponding results from SILC are included to provide some context to the results presented.
| X-axis label | Overall Life Satisfaction |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 15.9 |
| 2018 | 8.8 |
| April 2020 | 30.5 |
| August 2020 | 21.6 |
| November 2020 | 35.6 |
| February 2021 | 41.7 |
| X-axis label | Downhearted or Depressed | Feeling Lonely |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 4.8 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| April 2020 | 5.5 | 6.8 |
| November 2020 | 11.5 | 13.7 |
| February 2021 | 15.1 | 13.1 |
Link to release: SILC Module on Well-being, 2018
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey April 2020
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey August 2020: The Reopening of Schools
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey November 2020: Well-being and Lifestyle under Level 5 Restrictions
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey February 2021: Well-being
Respondents were asked to rate their compliance with current government advice and guidelines. The percentage of respondents reporting a high level of compliance was highest in April 2020 (80.6%), approximately one month after initial COVID-19 restrictions were implemented and lowest in June 2020 (59.9%) when the country was just about to enter Phase 3 of the "Roadmap for Reopening Society".
| X-axis label | High Personal Compliance |
|---|---|
| April 2020 | 80.6 |
| June 2020 | 59.9 |
| August 2020 | 75.4 |
| November 2020 | 65.2 |
| February 2021 | 75.1 |
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey February 2021: Well-being
Respondents were asked whether anything in their lives had changed for the better since the COVID-19 outbreak. If they answered positively, they were asked what aspects had improved.
| X-axis label | State |
|---|---|
| More quality time spent with people they live with | 28.7 |
| Finances improved | 18.8 |
| Free time for hobbies | 14.5 |
| Less commuting | 13.4 |
| More in touch with family,friends and neighbours | 13.1 |
| Other | 12.7 |
| Acquired new skills | 11.6 |
| Better work life balance | 10.2 |
In the November 2020 Social Impact of COVID-19 survey, respondents were asked how long they thought it would be before their lives return to something similar to what it was pre-COVID-19. This question was repeated in the February 2021 survey.
| X-axis label | November 2020 | February 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| By November 2021 | 39.2 | 23.6 |
| Between December 2021 and November 2022 | 45.3 | 52.1 |
| After November 2022 | 11.2 | 15.4 |
| Never | 4.3 | 8.9 |
The topics covered in the November 2020 Social Impact of COVID-19 survey included worries that survey respondents had in relation to celebrating Christmas.
| Worries in the context of celebration of Christmas | State |
|---|---|
| Not being able to mix with other households | 74.5 |
| Being unable to plan ahead | 54.2 |
| Household confinement | 41.9 |
| No Christmas activities | 27.4 |
| Inability to access shops | 26 |
| Churches, places of worship closed | 23.7 |
| Pubs and restaurants closed | 20.2 |
| Inability to afford Christmas presents | 11.9 |
| Other worries about Christmas | 8.4 |
In November 2020, respondents were asked, in their opinion, what restrictions should apply to persons travelling to Ireland from RED, ORANGE and GREEN regions. Under the EU traffic light system for international travel, regions were colour coded according to their 14-day COVID-19 incidence rate:
| X-axis label | Have NO restrictions | Require negative test within 3 days prior to arrival with no restriction on movement | Restriction on movement lifted if COVID-19 test five days following arrival is negative | Restrict movement for 14 days | Not be allowed enter the country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RED | 1.8 | 9.2 | 17.4 | 17.8 | 53.7 |
| ORANGE | 2.8 | 14.1 | 28.9 | 31.3 | 22.9 |
| GREEN | 10.9 | 26.2 | 30.2 | 22.5 | 10.3 |
In November 2020, respondents were also asked when they thought they would be taking their next international flight. This question was repeated in the February 2021 survey.
| X-axis label | November 20201 | February 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Sometime in 2021 | 50.6 | 15.8 |
| Sometime in 2022 | 36 | 55 |
| 2023 or later | 6.8 | 23.9 |
| Never | 3.3 | 5.3 |
1Data for 'within the next 2 months' collected in November 2020 is not included.
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey November 2020 Perceptions and Expectations around Christmas and International Travel
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey February 2021: Vaccination Attitudes and Holiday Expectations
In February 2021, respondents were asked their attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines. Respondents that Do not want to get the vaccine were asked the reasons why they do not want to get vaccinated and all respondents, except the 5.4% of respondents that Do not want to get the vaccine, were asked how concerned they are about certain aspects of the COVID-19 vaccine.
| X-axis label | Reason for not getting vaccine |
|---|---|
| Worried about long-term side effects | 66.2 |
| Do not think it will protect me from COVID-19 | 20.5 |
| Worried about short-term side effects | 17.3 |
| Worried it might affect an existing health condition | 11.7 |
| Already tested positive for COVID-19 | 6.6 |
| Do not think virus would impact negatively on my health | 6.2 |
| Against vaccines in general | 4 |
| Other | 3.5 |
| Worried that vaccine will give me COVID-19 | 1.5 |
| Worried it might be painful | 0 |
| X-axis label | Concern Type |
|---|---|
| Length of time of protection from virus | 21.3 |
| Effectiveness against different strains | 20.7 |
| Vaccinated individuals spreading COVID-19 | 20.5 |
| Different levels of effectiveness between vaccines | 19.1 |
| Long-term side effects | 18.2 |
| Short-term side effects | 7.7 |
| Other | 0.4 |
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey February 2021: Vaccination Attitudes and Holiday Expectations
The enforced closure of schools in March-June 2020 and once again in January-February 2021 brought about significant changes to the lives of school children in Ireland. Children’s learning, social development and time spent learning were impacted with children undertaking learning at home and interacting with their teachers and class mates in different ways.
| X-axis label | Positive | No impact | Mild negative | Moderate negative | Major negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary School | 3.7 | 3.6 | 46.5 | 31.5 | 14.8 |
| Secondary School | 4.5 | 1.7 | 24.9 | 32.7 | 36.3 |
| X-axis label | Positive | No impact | Mild negative | Moderate negative | Major negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary School | 2.7 | 7.5 | 38.4 | 30.5 | 20.9 |
| Secondary School | 2.6 | 5 | 20.4 | 38.4 | 33.6 |
| X-axis label | Five or More Hours | Four Hours | Three Hours | Two Hours | One Hour or Less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Closure March-June 2020 | 2.9 | 8 | 22.6 | 41.6 | 25 |
| School Closure January-February 2021 | 17.4 | 19.8 | 19.7 | 32.6 | 10.4 |
| X-axis label | Five Hours or More | Four Hours | Three Hours | Two Hours | One Hour or Less |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Closure March-June 2020 | 29.9 | 9.5 | 19.3 | 24.4 | 16.9 |
| School Closure January-February 2021 | 69 | 6.8 | 7.8 | 9.4 | 7 |
| X-axis label | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| Same Hours But Disjointed Throughout Day/Week | 21.7 | 40.8 |
| Reduced The Number Of Hours Worked | 15 | 16.9 |
| Other impact | 18.3 | 10.1 |
| Changed to working from home | 16.7 | 9.3 |
| Took annual leave | 1.4 | 9.5 |
| Took unpaid leave | 9.4 | 0.4 |
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey February 2021: Impact of School Closures
Link to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey August 2020: The Reopening of Schools
Go to next chapter - Impact of COVID-19 Income Supports
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.