Will Covid-19 Change What the Public Expect of Government, 2020-2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has represented the most significant public health challenge in a century, costing tens of thousands of people in the UK their lives. The UK and devolved governments have intervened in people’s personal lives to a degree unprecedented in peace time. The UK government has also presided over a dramatic increase in public spending and borrowing both to ensure that vital public services, including the health service, can cope with the disease and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the labour market and the economy more generally.

Previous research on pandemics, infectious disease and recession suggests that COVID-19 could have a significant impact on the public’s public policy preferences - and thus the environment in which policymakers will have to address the pandemic’s consequences. Unsurprisingly, there has been considerable speculation about the impact that this dramatic shock to people’s lives and livelihoods will have on attitudes, behaviour and public policy.

This project looks at whether key political attitudes and values have changed following the pandemic. In particular, it assesses whether or not the experience has changed attitudes towards: (i) the role of government in managing the economy, in providing welfare and in addressing inequality, (ii) the relative importance of individual civil liberties versus adherence to collective social codes, and (iii) the globalisation process, including most notably immigration.

Main topics:

• COVID-19 (whether had the virus, attitudes to vaccination, perception of effects of pandemic on public health, economy and law and order)
• Social and political attitudes
• Demographic details

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