UK adults are couch-surfing their way through the third coronavirus lockdown and are less happy than they were during the first, a major study suggests.
Four in 10 people told researchers from University College London (UCL) they are exercising less compared with the first time restrictions were imposed – with just 13% doing more to keep fit.
Meanwhile, 19% are spending more time watching TV, streaming films and gaming.
About a third of those polled said they are spending more time working, while people are putting fewer hours into hobbies such as gardening, arts and crafts, DIY and volunteering.
The change in behaviours from the first lockdown is making us less happy, the data shows, with average happiness scores down.
About 45% of people are now worried about catching or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 – the highest level since the middle of the first lockdown back in April.
The fact the current lockdown is taking place in winter partly explains the drop in rates of exercise, according to Dr Daisy Fancourt, from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and…
