Coronavirus (COVID-19): impact on wellbeing - survey findings

4 Formal and informal support

Key findings:

The vast majority say they have provided some kind of support and / or help to others in the last month.

People are divided in how confident they currently feel about being able to access support from GPs, ambulances, and A&E in a timely manner.

Most people in Scotland (91%) report that they, or someone else in their household, have provided formal or informal support to others in the last month

Q In the last month, have you or anyone else in your household provided any of the following kinds of help to other people, outside your household?

Base: W2 (1,004), W4 (1,006), All respondents

A range of 'other' kinds of help mentioned included: practical support – e.g. fixing things, gardening, cooking, errands (5%); help with transportation to appointments / work/ shopping (5%); other mental/emotional support (3%); donating money / goods other than food (3%); providing help through work/formal volunteering role (2%), and help with childcare (2%).

Half (47%) feel confident that they could get a GP appointment within a reasonable timeframe, but half (51%) do not feel confident about this.

Q How confident, if at all, would you say you are that you could get a GP appointment within a reasonable timeframe, if you needed one?

Base: 1,006 respondents age 16+ resident in Scotland; fieldwork = January 26 - February 11 2022

• People from rural areas were more likely to feel confident (53% vs 45% of those in urban areas).
• People in more deprived areas were more likely to say they were not very or not at all confident (58% of those in SIMD1, compared with 51% on average – although the pattern by deprivation was not linear).

Around half (54%) feel confident that, if they needed an ambulance, it would arrive quickly, but 39% do not feel confident about this

Q How confident, if at all, would you say you are that if you needed an ambulance, one would arrive quickly?

Base: 1,006 respondents age 16+ resident in Scotland; fieldwork = January 26 - February 11 2022

• People in rural areas were more likely to feel confident (60% vs 52% in urban areas).
• Those in more deprived areas were more likely to say they were not confident (43% of those in SIMD1 and 45% of those in SIMD4), as were unpaid carers (46%).

Around half (51%) feel confident that they would be able to access Accident and Emergency care if they needed it, while 43% do not feel confident about this

Q How confident, if at all, would you say you are that if you needed emergency care at an Accident and Emergency department, that you would be seen quickly?

Base: 1,006 respondents age 16+ resident in Scotland; fieldwork = January 26 - February 11 2022

• People in the lowest income households (55% of those on under £15,600), disabled people (52%), and those aged 55-69 (50%) were all more likely than average to say they did not feel confident they would be seen quickly in A&E.

Base: 1,006 respondents age 16+ resident in Scotland; fieldwork = January 26 - February 11 2022

Thank you.

Stefania Pagani

Stefania.Pagani@ipsos.com

Rachel Ormston

Rachel.Ormston@ipsos.com