Subjective well-being during the 2020-21 global coronavirus pandemic: Evidence from high frequency time series data

We investigate how subjective well-being varied over the course of the global COVID-19 pandemic, with a special attention to periods of lockdown. We use weekly data from YouGov's Great Britain Mood Tracker Poll, and daily reports from Google Trends, that cover the entire period from six months before until eighteen months after the global spread of COVID-19. Descriptive trends and time-series models suggest that negative mood associated with the imposition of lockdowns returned to baseline within 1-3 weeks of lockdown implementation, whereas pandemic intensity, measured by the rate of fatalities from COVID-19 infection, was persistently associated with depressed affect. The results support the hypothesis that country-specific pandemic severity was the major contributor to increases in negative affect observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that lockdowns likely ameliorated rather than exacerbated this effect.

Automated summary

This study investigates the variations in subjective well-being during the global COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on the impact of lockdown periods. Using data from YouGov's Great Britain Mood Tracker Poll and daily reports from Google Trends, covering a period of six months before and eighteen months after the global spread of COVID-19, the study finds that negative mood associated with lockdown measures returns to baseline within 1-3 weeks, while the intensity of the pandemic, measured by the rate of COVID-19 fatalities, has a persistent association with depressed affect. The results support the hypothesis that the severity of the pandemic in different countries is the major contributor to the increase in negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that lockdown measures likely alleviate rather than exacerbate this effect.