Four in 10 UK adults afraid to go outside, poll shows

Four in 10 adults felt unsafe when going outside after Boris Johnson’s government’s “stay at home” guidance was relaxed, official figures suggest.

Some 41% felt unsafe or very unsafe due to coronavirus, rising to more than half (54%) of those with an underlying health condition, according to the latest polling by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

placeholder image — Prime Minister Boris Johnson stands in Downing Street, London, to join in the applause to salute local heroes during Thursday's nationwide Clap for Carers to recognise and support NHS workers and carers fighting the coronavirus pandemic. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 21, 2020. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire

Despite the fears, around one in four adults said they had visited a park or green space over the past seven days, a sixth of which did so to meet friends or family outside their immediate household.

The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey on the social impacts of Covid-19 was conducted on 995 adults in Great Britain between May 14 and 17.

This week’s results are the first since the announcement of changes to the stay at home guidance on May 10.

The ONS cautioned that the sample size was relatively small.

Around one in seven adults said they had not left their home during the past seven days, rising to a third of people aged 70 and over and those with an underlying health condition.

Overall, nearly two thirds of adults surveyed (65%) said they were concerned about a “lack of freedom and independence”.

While 80% of the participants said they had enough information about how to protect themselves, around half this amount were satisfied with how much they have been told about the government’s plan to deal with the virus.

This is the lowest proportion of adults feeling they have sufficient information about future steps since the lockdown began, the ONS said.

The study found that of the small number of people who reported a new or worsening health problem during the week, four in 10 people did not seek medical advice.