Over 66 per cent of Sheffielders ‘very concerned’ about the impact of a second wave of coronavirus

The Big Conversation looked at a range of issues surrounding the pandemic, including changes to personal lives, travel habits, health, employment and local life.

The survey - which was replicated in other parts of the country too - also sought to find out what the city has learnt from the last six months and whether this may lead to changes in the way we live and work in the future.

Getting out and about

The majority of respondents - 51.12 per cent - said they have visited the town or city centre “less” or “a lot less” than they did prior to lockdown, while 33.28 per cent have not visited it at all.

Regarding public transport, 72.96 per cent of those surveyed said they felt “not comfortable” or “not at all comfortable” with using it, and 8.5 per cent were unsure.

When it came to how confident people felt sending their children back to school, the majority - 46.10 per cent - said they didn’t know or were unsure how they felt about the idea.

Personal life

76.08 per cent of respondents chose “visiting family” as the most important activity for a good quality of life, either pre- or post-pandemic.

Eating out was a fairly close second, as 64.47 per cent of those surveyed selected this option.

Employment

Job security or income was a worry for some, as 32.58 per cent of respondents said they were “concerned” or “very concerned” about their job security or income, while 42.81 per cent said they were “concerned” or “very concerned” about their personal or household finances.

Fears, concerns and hopes

82.32 per cent of those surveyed said that action to shift the work/life balance in favour of family and leisure time was “important” or “very important” to them.

Greater flexibility to work from home was deemed “important” or “very important” by 71.58 per cent of respondents.

The impact of a second wave of coronavirus was a worry for well over half of those surveyed however, as 66.20 per cent said they were “very concerned” about the prospect.

Local life

Social care services were deemed one of the lowest quality services during the pandemic, with just 16.12 per cent of respondents rating them “good” or “very good”.

Over half - 60.49 per cent - of those surveyed believe that local hospitals are most in need of increased spending and 52.86 per cent said social care is in need of more spending.

On the other hand, 39 per cent believe that their community has got stronger since the pandemic began, though 44.54 per cent thought there was no difference.

Health

Of the 45.93 per cent of respondents who needed an appointment with a hospital or specialist since the pandemic began, 31.32 per cent said they found making an appointment either “difficult” or “very difficult”.In terms of mental health, 24.44 per cent said they thought their mental health was “strongly affected” by the pandemic, while 42.11 per cent said it has been “slightly affected”.

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