Number of adults battling anxiety is greater than before Covid with women suffering more than men

THE proportion of adults who feel high levels of anxiety remains greater than before Covid, new figures suggest.

The Office for National Statistics data puts the figure at 22.6 per cent for October-December 2024.

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That is higher than at any point between 2015 and 2019.

During that period, the proportion never rose above 21.3 per cent and occasionally dipped as low as 18.9 per cent.

By contrast, from 2020 to 2024 the figure has ranged from 25.2 per cent in October-December 2020 (start of the second Covid wave) to 21.2 per cent in April-June 2021 (roll-out of first vaccines).

Both these figures were broadly unchanged on levels before the pandemic.

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A significantly higher number of women than men reported high levels of anxiety, with 50 to 54- year-olds most affected.

The ONS also found 8.5 per cent reported low levels of happiness in the most recent quarter.

The ONS has carried out a survey of wellbeing in the UK since 2011.

The quarterly survey is based on four measures: anxiety; happiness; satisfaction with life; and feeling things in life are worthwhile.

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