Anxiety levels hit unprecedented heights as coronavirus lockdown announced, poll finds

Anxiety levels soared to unprecedented heights around the time lockdown was announced in late March, according to the Government’s official “happiness index”.

Almost half of Britons said their feelings of anxiety were “high” as pubs, restaurants and offices closed and socialising with friends was effectively banned. This compared with just 21 per cent in late 2019.

The Office for National Statistics said this equated to 25 million people suffering elevated levels of anxiety between March 20 and 30.

The average anxiety rating was 5.18 out of 10, compared with 2.97 during the last quarter of 2019. The rating fell back to 4.2 in April.

The highest levels of stress were felt by those who said they were “struggling to pay bills”.