SPECIAL REPORT: The COVID-19 Pandemic and its Consequences
A study into the effects of COVID-19
By Elaine Sanderson, Giulia Miraglia and Ruth Kae
(Disclaimer: La Tonique Media LLC does not represent any political ideology. While we do not espouse any political beliefs, we do seek to provide a balance perspective by incorporating voices from both sides of the political spectrum.)
2020 — what a year. After only a short time, we were forced to get used to a new normal that included staying at home for most of the time and not seeing our family and friends. Some faced redundancies and staff shortages meant others had to work overtime. In the midst of it all, politicians, virologists, doctors and other scientists got together to work out strategies and plans to help us endure the pandemic in the best way possible.
We from La Tonique wanted to find out how people perceived the pandemic and what their impressions were nearly nine months after it all started. The following article is based on a survey that was conducted at the beginning of December 2020. Our goal is to give a brief overview of how the respondents — especially in the age group 18 to 29, referred to as young people in this article — have perceived various aspects of the pandemic.
Our Data:
The number of survey responses is approximately 388. For some age groups, countries of origin and other categories, we did not receive sufficient responses to draw a representative conclusion. Therefore, we focused especially on the age groups from 18-22 and 23-29 and on these countries: the U.K, Germany, Italy and the U.S. If you want to see more about the methodological approach click here.
Trigger Warning: The following article also discusses the impact of the pandemic on mental health. Please skip these sections if the following information will disturb you and seek professional help if you need.
Perceptions of Rules and Regulations
By early March, it was clear that the U.K. was using a different strategy towards combatting the pandemic compared to other European countries. Let’s look at Germany and Italy as examples. The Financial Times reports that Germany and the U.K were “working together on virus tests, some of the first developed in the world.” What separates the two nations is that German labs ran faster than the NHS. They completed 918,460 tests to Britain’s 163,194.
Worse than the Flu?
COVID denial is included in the narrative that the virus is no worse than the flu.
Quality of Health Sector
During a pandemic, healthcare quality can make or break a nation. Those who have perceived their healthcare system as poor are from countries that have had a weak pandemic strategy, faced capacity limits faster and had a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Education and Interest in Politics
In the survey conducted by La Tonique Media, we found that, since the pandemic began, interest in politics has either increased or stayed the same.
Age and Satisfaction of Government Response
Different nations have endured different pandemic response plans from their governments. Globally, satisfaction towards handling of the pandemic varies. In a report by the Pew Research Center of 14 countries, most people think their country has handled the pandemic well.
Mental Health
All the rules and regulations already mentioned have completely changed our lives, which has resulted in long-term stress for many. Restrictions including staying inside, socially distancing and shielding were inevitable in bringing about a decline of mental health.
Position and Financial Impact
Job markets have declined and economies have plunged.
Area of Living and Loneliness
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are likely to differ depending on the type of area a person resides in.
On a Final Note
Pandemic perceptions of young people from four major countries have shown that when it comes to mental health, they are relatively unsatisfied. Regarding restrictions, there was an overwhelming majority of respondents believing they were necessary. So while there is conclusive evidence that populations agree with the rules and restrictions implemented, it is producing a negative impact on mental health. While some describe the situation as the “New Normal,” it is clear that nothing is normal about it. We highlight these findings to push the importance of the sacrifice we have all made and to gain an overview of how nations’ strategies differ. In hindsight, there will be things that could have gone better, but for now, we have to take it as it is and do our part to get through this. Stay safe and reach out for help when needed.