Coronavirus (COVID-19): shielding survey report - January 2021

Following Guidance

With the introduction of the strategic framework in Scotland in October 2020, people who had received a shielding letter were asked to follow the same advice as the general public but with some additional advice (see matrix image).

We wanted to understand participants’ awareness of and adherence to this additional guidance.

Extra protection level advice for people at highest risk from coronavirus

96% of respondents were aware of this additional guidance. 85% of them heard about it in a letter from the Chief Medical Officer and 74% in a text from the Shielding text message alert service. The third highest option was hearing about it on the daily briefings, but only 35% heard about the guidance this way, suggesting that direct communications were the most effective form of communication.

In terms of quality and compliance: 88% of respondents thought the additional guidance was quite or very clear and the majority of respondents (66%) were following the guidance completely.

Awareness of additional guidance

Yes	96%
No	4%
Response count	4146

Where respondents had heard about the additional guidance

In a letter from the Chief Medical Officer	85%
In a text from the Shielding text message alert service	74%
I heard about it on the daily briefings	35%
I read about it online	31%
I heard about it on the news	23%
I read about it in a letter/leaflet	11%
I was contacted by a healthcare professional	4%
I heard about it through a friend or family member	3%
I heard about it from a charity or support organisation	2%
Response count	3979

Clarity of additional guidance

Very clear	51%
Quite clear	37%
Neither clear or unclear	7%
Quite unclear	4%
Very unclear	1%
Response count	3990

Whether people are following the additional guidance

Completely	66%
Partially – I am unable to follow the guidance completely	23%
Partially – I choose not to follow the guidance completely	5%
Not at all	2%
I don’t know	4%
Response count	1010

Note that there was an error in the display of this question for the first 3000 responses. This explains why the number of people who answered this question is significantly lower than other questions, and could also explain the relatively high number of “I don’t know” responses.

What aspects of additional guidance are being followed

Minimising contact with people outside your own household	90%
Keeping two metres away from others	86%
Not taking public transport	83%
Wearing a face covering when out	82%
Limiting the number of times you go to a shop	77%
Shopping at quieter times	61%
Speaking to your employer about protections at work	24%
Carrying out a workplace risk assessment	22%
Not attending school, college or formal childcare	7%
Not relevant to my local area	1%
Response count	942

Percentages do not add up to 100 as respondents could select multiple options

Deciding which activities are safe

Since shielding was paused, communications and guidance from Scottish Government has aimed to provide users with information on personal risk, allowing people on the shielding list to assess risk of different activities for themselves. Letters and texts have included links to information such as localised infection rates via the Public Health Scotland dashboard, and a booklet titled ‘Balancing the risks of daily activities during coronavirus’ was produced, explaining the additional protection measures that those at high risk could take.

62% said that they felt confident about making decisions about which day-to-day activities (such as going outside for exercise, visiting shops and meeting others) are safe. It is unclear why the remaining 38% don’t feel confident. Over the course of the survey being live, there was a sharp rise in infection rates in Scotland, and guidance for those at higher risk changed significantly. This may have had an impact on people’s confidence.

Respondents told us their top three trusted sources of information for deciding which activities are safe were: Scottish Government (83%), Public Health Scotland (56%) and specialist healthcare professionals (34%).

Do respondents feel confident when deciding which activities are safe?

Yes	62%
No	38%
Response count	4139

Trusted sources of information for deciding which activities are safe

Scottish Government	83%
Public Health Scotland	56%
Specialist healthcare professional	34%
My GP	33%
My Local Authority	21%
Friends and family	11%
Response count	4092

Percentages do not add up to 100 as respondents could select multiple options