The requirement to continue working through the Covid-19 pandemic was the single greatest factor in the level of risk taken by people during the tightest restrictions, according to new research.
However, when work was taken out of the equation, older adults took more risks than younger ones on average, the study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) found.
The report also found those with higher levels of income or education were more likely to take risks when it came to socialising, the research suggests. There was little between the genders, though, and no clear pattern based on location.
The paper is based on regular research carried out by Red C and Ipsos B&A during an 18-month period from January 2021.
Man arrested after woman dies following ‘serious incident’ on Rosslare ferry
Zelenskiy plans to travel to US to meet Trump on minerals deal, sources say
Woman and two men charged with rape and sex assaults on girl from age 3½ in Co Mayo
Oesophageal cancer: ‘I was fine, there was nothing wrong with me’
Those surveyed were asked about their attitudes to the restrictions associated with the pandemic and to review their behaviour over particular days in terms of level of risk they engaged in with regard to visiting other homes, meeting people or going to public places.
The report found levels of adherence to the regulations were generally high, and highest among those who worried most about Covid-19 or its potential impact on family or friends. The extent an individual believed the restrictions would be beneficial tended to be a greater motivation than a fear of punishment for breaches.
A sense the restrictions were logical and easy to understand was also a factor and though there appears to have been some fatigue, the report suggests, behaviour only changed substantially as the rules were eased.
“These perceptions were, on average, positive and strongly correlated with confidence in the government. Perceptions of how much others were complying with restrictions mattered too,” the report said.
The authors, Prof Peter Lunn along with senior researchers Shane Timmins and Deirdre Robertson, found that while a requirement to continue attending work over the period of the pandemic involved was the most significant single factor in an individual’s inclination to socialise, age played a more surprising role.
“The models show that, of all the background characteristics tested, being a worker was most strongly linked to greater social activity,” it is said. “There is essentially no influence of age on risk scores at the beginning of the period, when Level 5 restrictions were in place. However, from approximately the middle of 2021 onwards, the coefficients suggest that older adults tended to be more socially active than younger ones, with those over 60 being the most active.
“This pattern, while perhaps initially surprising, is not inexplicable. Older people were the first to be vaccinated and the fortnightly social activity measure data reported at the time suggest that many people waited for their vaccination before returning to activities.”
People with higher levels of education and income were also more socially active, the authors find. “It might be a reasonable contention that during ‘normal times’ people in higher socio-economic groups will visit more locations outside the home, simply because many locations are associated with spending income,” the report said.
The research is an indication of the importance of persuading the population that rules, which straightforward and easily policed, are evidence based and will produce positive results during times of emergency, the authors say.
