Here are some main findings in relation to age/older people:
- Mental well-being has reached its lowest level across all age groups since the onset of the pandemic over a year ago.
- This is especially prominent among young people and those who have lost their job. Almost two-thirds of people (64%) in the youngest age group (18–34 years) are at risk of depression.
- People aged 50 years or over have better mental well-being scores in round 3 than younger groups (47 compared with 43 for those aged 18–34 and 49 for those aged 35–49), but this older group also experienced a large drop in average mental well-being (from 55 in summer 2020 to 47 in spring 2021). See Figure 4 on page 4 of the report.
- Further sociodemographic comparisons show that the proportion of respondents in a financially fragile situation went up from 51% to 55% for those aged 50 and older between summer 2020 and spring 2021, while it decreased among those aged 18–34 (from 52% to 48%). Among those aged 35-49, there was no change.
- Higher vaccine hesitancy among men, prime age group and people outside the labour market: men (29%) are more vaccine hesitant than women (25%). People in the prime age group (aged 35–49 years) are more sceptical about vaccines (29%) than young and older people (26% and 27%, respectively).
