Public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A UK-based focus group study

Simon N Williams; Christopher J Armitage; Tova Tampe; Kimberly Dienes

Some already feel in need of professional mental health support. The social and psychological impacts identified through this study centred around the various losses that people are experiencing. Practical social and economic losses -the loss of (in-person) social interaction, loss of income and loss of structure and routine -led to psychological and emotional losses -the loss of motivation, loss of meaning, and loss of self-worth. Findings also suggest that participants generally found information on social distancing to be ambiguous. However, there were differing views as to whether the government was at fault (insufficiently clear communication) or that the terms themselves are ambiguous and a small minority of the UK public were taking advantage of the ambiguity. It was recognized that this ambiguity may have been designed to permit greater social freedom than the more extreme social distancing and isolation measures implemented in other countries.