Thread by @imran_1

THREAD: This morning the ONS published its Personal and Economic Wellbeing Bulletin.

This latest version looks at the impact of the coronavirus on our happiness and our worries.

Here are 4 key points - and their implications:
ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulati…

1. *Anxiety has doubled*: Almost half (49.6%) of people in GB reported "high" anxiety 20-30 March; this was sharply elevated compared with the end of 2019 (21%), and equates to over 25 million people (out of the population aged 16 years and over).

2. *Worries – wellbeing, work & money*: Of those worried about CV19 impact, approx 5.3m people most concerned about the impact to their finances, with 8.5m people most concerned about their well-being and 6.2m people most concerned about their work. See chart below

3. *Income reductions drive anxiety*: E.g those who experienced a reduction in their income reported anxiety 16% higher on average than those whose finances remained the same, if they had said they were worried about the impact of the coronavirus on their lives.

4. *Women 24% more anxious*: Women reported much higher levels of anxiety compared with men, with their average rating 24% higher between 3 and 13 April 2020. [This may reflect attachment to, and weakness in, labour market]

Implications?
1. That CV19 is going to have an impact on family finances and anxiety is something that's becoming more obvious everyday.

2. But this bulletin does demonstrate the scale of the challenge, including the mental health impact of poverty and hardship.

3. Most importantly: The Govt needs to plan for the recovery. We cannot wait for our mental health services to be overwhelmed - we need to urgently plan to
- reduce poverty and
- increase early MH support to reduce the demand for services like CAMHs

ENDs

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