Experimental results of the pilot Office for National Statistics (ONS) online time-use study (collected 28 March to 26 April 2020 across Great Britain) compared with the 2014 to 2015 UK time-use study.

The economy of the United Kingdom is expected to fall by ** percent in the second quarter of 2020, following the Coronavirus outbreak and closure of several businesses. According to the forecast the economy will bounce back in the third quarter of 2020, based on a scenario where the lockdown lasts for three months, with social distancing gradually phased out over a subsequent three-month period.

In 2020, global gross domestic product declined by 6.7 percent as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. In Latin America, overall GDP loss amounted to 8.5 percent.

UKHLS COVID-19 waves C5-C8, the second COVID infection wave (N = 1,390 participants, n = 4,493 observations).

The data collection consists of 40 qualitative interviews with Polish migrant essential workers living in the UK and 10 in-depth expert interviews with key stakeholders providing information and support to migrant workers in the UK. All migrant interviews are in Polish. Six of the expert interviews with key stakeholders are in English and four are in Polish. Fieldwork was conducted fully online during the Covid-19 pandemic between March and August 2021, following the third UK-wide Covid-19 lockdown. Restrictions were still in place in some localities. Interviews took place shortly after the end of the transition period concluding the UK’s European Union exit on 1 January 2021. All Polish migrant worker interviewees entered the UK before 1 January 2021 and had the option to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

The objectives of the qualitative fieldwork were to: 1. To synthesise empirical and theoretical knowledge on the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on migrant essential workers. 2. To establish how the pandemic affected Polish migrant essential worker's lives; and expert interviews with stakeholders in the public and third/voluntary sector to investigate how to best support and retain migrant essential workers in COVID-19 recovery strategies. The project also involved: - co-producing policy outputs with partner organisations in England and Scotland; and - an online survey to measure how Polish migrant essential workers across different roles and sectors were impacted by COVID-19 in regard to health, social, economic and cultural aspects, and intentions to stay in the UK/return to Poland (deposited separately to University of Sheffield). Key findings included significant new knowledge about the health, social, economic and cultural impacts of Covid-19 on migrant essential workers. Polish essential workers were severely impacted by the pandemic with major mental health impacts. Mental health support was insufficient throughout the UK. Those seeking support typically turned to private (online) services from Poland as they felt they could not access them in the UK because of language or cultural barriers, lack of understanding of the healthcare system and pathways to mental health support, support being offered during working hours only, or fear of the negative impact of using mental health services on work opportunities. Some participants were in extreme financial hardship, especially those with pre-settled status or those who arrived in the UK during the pandemic. The reasons for financial strain varied but there were strong patterns linked to increased pressure at work, greater exposure to Covid-19 as well as redundancies, pay cuts and rejected benefit applications. There was a tendency to avoid applying for state financial support. These impacts were compounded by the sense of isolation, helplessness, or long-distance grief due to inability to visit loved ones in Poland. Covid-19 impacted most detrimentally on women with caring responsibilities, single parents and people in the health and teaching sectors. The most vulnerable Polish migrant essential workers - e.g. those on lower income, with pre-existing health conditions, restricted access to support and limited English proficiency - were at most risk. Discrimination was reported, including not feeling treated equally in the workplace. The sense of discrimination two-fold: as essential workers (low-paid, low-status, unsafe jobs) and as Eastern Europeans (frequent disciplining practices, treated as threat, assumed to be less qualified). In terms of future plans, some essential workers intended to leave the UK or were unsure about their future place of residence. Brexit was a major reason for uncertain settlement plans. Vaccine hesitancy was identified, based on doubts about vaccination, especially amongst younger respondents who perceived low risks of Covid-19 for their own health, including women of childbearing age, who may have worries over unknown vaccine side-effects for fertility. Interview participants largely turned to Polish language sources for vaccination information, especially social media, and family and friends in Poland. This promoted the spread of misinformation as Poland has a strong anti-vaccination movement.

COVID-19 has exposed the UK's socio-economic dependence on a chronically insecure migrant essential workforce. While risking their lives to offset the devastating effects of the pandemic, migrant workers reportedly find themselves in precarious professional and personal circumstances (temporary zero-hours contracts, work exploitation, overcrowded accommodation, limited access to adequate health/social services including Universal Credit). This project will investigate the health, social, economic and cultural impacts of COVID-19 on the migrant essential workforce and how these might impact on their continued stay in the UK. It will focus on the largest non-British nationality in the UK, the Polish community, who - while employed across a range of roles and sectors - are overrepresented in lower-paid essential work. We will use this group as an illustrative case study to make wider claims and policy recommendations about migrant work during the pandemic. Using a mixed-methods approach, we will conduct: an online survey to map COVID-19 impacts; in-depth qualitative interviews to establish how the pandemic has affected worker's lives; and expert interviews with stakeholders to investigate how to best support and retain migrant essential workers in COVID-19 recovery strategies. The results will generate the first comprehensive UK-wide dataset on the experiences of migrant essential workers against the backdrop of COVID-19. The research, co-produced with partner organisations (Polish Expats Associations, Fife Migrants Forum, PKAVS Minority Communities Hub and Polish Social and Cultural Association), will generate a policy briefing, a toolkit for employers in the essential work sectors, information resources for migrant workers, alongside media and academic outputs.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) Covid-19 study can be seen as a follow-up study based on the sample of the regular ELSA study (held under SN 5050). ELSA was launched in 2002 with the primary objective of exploring ageing in England through the operationalisation of a longitudinal design, where repeated measures are taken over time from the same sample of study participants, composed of people aged 50 or above.

After the beginning of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak at the end of 2019, its classification as global pandemic by the World Health Organisation in March 2020 and the gradual escalation of protective measures in the UK, culminating with the enforcement of a nation-wide lockdown in late March, the ELSA research team identified the need to carry out a new ad-hoc study that measures the socio-economic effects/psychological impact of the lockdown on the aged 50+ population of England.

Further information can be found on the "http://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> ELSA COVID-19 Study webpage.

Acknowledgment statement:

The ELSA COVID-19 Substudy was funded through the Economic and Social Research Council via the UK Research and Innovation Covid-19 Rapid Response call. Funding has also been received from the National Institute of Aging in the US, and a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the National Institute for Health Research.

Latest edition information

For the third edition (February 2022), revised data files for Waves 1 and 2, with corrected serial numbers (variable idauniq), were deposited. The documentation remains unchanged.

Special Licence version of the ELSA COVID-19 study

Additional variables covering interview week are available under SN 8918, subject to stringent Special Licence access conditions. Users should check whether the standard End User Licence version (this study, SN 8688), is sufficient for their needs before making an application for the Special Licence version.

Health conditions research with ELSA - June 2021

The ELSA Data team have found some issues with historical data measuring health conditions. If you are intending to do any analysis looking at the following health conditions, then please contact elsadata@natcen.ac.uk for advice on how you should approach your analysis. The affected conditions are: eye conditions (glaucoma; diabetic eye disease; macular degeneration; cataract), CVD conditions (high blood pressure; angina; heart attack; Congestive Heart Failure; heart murmur; abnormal heart rhythm; diabetes; stroke; high cholesterol; other heart trouble) and chronic health conditions (chronic lung disease; asthma; arthritis; osteoporosis; cancer; Parkinson's Disease; emotional, nervous or psychiatric problems; Alzheimer's Disease; dementia; malignant blood disorder; multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease).

Topics covered in the ELSA COVID-19 study include:

• Demographics
• Mental health
• Financial security
• Covid-19-related health
• Employment and work
• Financial situation
• Volunteering and care
• Physical health and health behaviours
• Social connection isolation and technological inclusion
• Income, pensions and retirement

For a full table of topics and questions covered across all the ELSA waves, see the all-waves user guide in the main study (SN 5050) documentation.

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) Covid-19 study can be seen as a follow-up study based on the sample of the regular ELSA study (held under SN 5050). ELSA was launched in 2002 with the primary objective of exploring ageing in England through the operationalisation of a longitudinal design, where repeated measures are taken over time from the same sample of study participants, composed of people aged 50 or above.

After the beginning of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak at the end of 2019, its classification as global pandemic by the World Health Organisation in March 2020 and the gradual escalation of protective measures in the UK, culminating with the enforcement of a nation-wide lockdown in late March, the ELSA research team identified the need to carry out a new ad-hoc study that measures the socio-economic effects/psychological impact of the lockdown on the aged 50+ population of England.

Acknowledgment statement:

The ELSA COVID-19 Substudy was funded through the Economic and Social Research Council via the UK Research and Innovation Covid-19 Rapid Response call. Funding has also been received from the National Institute of Aging in the US, and a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the National Institute for Health Research.

Further information can be found on the http://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/covid-19" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ELSA COVID-19 Study webpage.

ELSA COVID-19 study: End User Licence and Special Licence data

The main data and documentation for the ELSA COVID-19 study are available under SN 8688, subject to standard End User Licence conditions. This study (SN 8918) contains only interview week variables, which are subject to stringent Special Licence conditions. Users should obtain SN 8688 and check whether it is suitable for their needs before considering an application for this study (SN 8918).

Corporate travel is closely tied to fluctuations in business confidence. Economic uncertainty, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the industry to a halt in March 2020, significantly dented revenue for agencies at the beginning of the previous five-year period in 2020-21. The industry is still adapting to the new working trends and spending strategies of corporate companies post-pandemic in 2025-26. Demand for travel services has also faced recent hurdles of high prices for flights and hotels due to steep inflation and companies’ efforts to curb their carbon emissions. Video calls are now a cemented alternative to domestic and international business travel that saves time and money for companies. Demand from the industry's largest downstream market, the banking, financial services and insurance industries, has dropped due to the relocation of many companies out of the UK to avoid the loss of passporting rights, which they lost back in 2021. Loss of major financial clients has left a lingering impression on demand for corporate travel agents. Although industry revenue is expected to grow by 7.7% in 2025-26 as businesses increase their levels of travel, revenue is anticipated to soar at a compound annual rate of 41.8% to £4.6 billion over the five years through 2025-26 after it plummeted in 2021-22 amid lockdown restrictions. Agencies have faced unsustainably high operational expenses in recent years, driving many out of the industry and constraining profits. Over the five years through 2030-31, revenue is expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 5.1% to reach £5.9 billion, which is slightly above pre-pandemic industry revenue. The industry is significantly affected by business confidence and profit, meaning the pace at which the economy recovers following sluggish economic growth and dented business confidence will likely influence industry revenue heavily over the coming years. The growing use of virtual meetings and events and the ever-growing demand for online travel agents will slow the market's full recovery. However, progress between the UK and EU regarding ease of travel will stand to benefit the corporate travel services industry in the coming years.

The aim of our study was to assess the economic, social, and health impacts of the pandemic on families both expecting babies, and those with children under five living in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Interview data was collected as part of the second phase of the research; a repeated longitudinal qualitative panel of 20 households purposively sampled from the Wave 1 survey to represent different household structures and types. In-depth interviews were conducted via video or telephone with up to 2 adults per household (mothers and fathers. Wave 1 of the panel interviews took place between January 2021 and April 2021 with wave 2 between September - December 2021.

Our sampling strategy was carefully constructed to ensure representation of the following dimensions: Household type (single, couple, multi-generational); Income (low, moderate, and high); Ethnicity (White, South Asian, Other ethnic groups). Only one household member could complete the survey. If sampled, they were then contacted to take part in the qualitative panel along with other adult members of their households.

The qualitative interviews utilised supporting interactive activities and focused on children’s development in the context of family’s everyday lives during the pandemic, how parents and kin supported each other emotionally and practically, and how families are engaged in their communities during the Covid-19 era.

Interviews were focused on target child [under 5 years old at wave 1], identified as CHILD A in transcripts.

Households were interviewed approximately 6 months later.

Adverse direct and indirect impacts of the current COVID-19 pandemic will disproportionately fall on individuals and families from poorer backgrounds, those in public facing jobs and living in higher density housing. Tower Hamlets, the site of this study, with its pre-existing stark income and health inequalities is already a high-risk inner city area, placed in one of the richest global cities. This project will focus on the impacts of the lockdown, and its aftermath for the borough's young children, who are likely to experience new health and educational inequalities as a result of the unprecedented restrictions on mobility associated with slowing the spread of COVID-19 introduced on 23 March 2020. Tower Hamlets has a highly diverse population profile, with residents from a wide range of ethnicities and social and economic backgrounds, which offers an opportunity to identify how families deploy their interpersonal, economic and social resources to manage risks associated with living in lockdown and in recovery from lockdown. In close partnership with the borough Public Health and children's services team, we will run a repeat survey of 2000 couple and single parent families with children aged 0-4, and pregnant women; a longitudinal qualitative panel with approximately 60 household members including fathers and wider kin; and examine changing family support services, and emergent community resources such as mutual aid and peer networks. We are interested in families' cultural and inter-personal assets as well as their vulnerabilities: what new forms of managing family and community life have emerged and how are these novel methods helping young children? We will include two groups defined as vulnerable; pregnant women and shielded children. The survey tools chosen are those being run by the concurrent Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort study and by the International Network on Leave Policies and Research offering robust comparisons. Findings will help guide the borough's deployment of scarce resources in the recovery phase of the pandemic and will have relevance to all inner-city areas.

The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (see the main study under SN 5050) is a longitudinal household survey for the study of health, economic position, and quality of life among the elderly.

The ELSA COVID-19 Study, Waves 1-2, 2020 (SN 8688) is a follow-up substudy based on the sample of the main ELSA study. Within the context of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, all participants for the COVID-19 substudy were selected from the existing ELSA sample to measure the socio-economic effects/psychological impact of the lockdown on the 50+ population of England. The ELSA COVID-19 substudy allows a cross-sectional analysis of the dynamics of the lockdown, enabling too the possibility to link the data collected with previous and future waves of ELSA for longitudinal analysis.

Subsequent to that, the University of Southern California (USC) "https://g2aging.org/home"> Gateway to Global Aging Data team has created the Harmonized ELSA COVID data file, along with a codebook, to facilitate cross-country comparisons across international harmonized COVID studies, including the harmonized Health and Retirement Study (HRS) COVID study and the harmonized Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) COVID study. This is a separate data product which is a user-friendly version of a subset of the ELSA COVID-19 substudy. The Harmonized ELSA COVID dataset uses data from the third edition of the ELSA COVID-19 substudy, released in February 2022. It follows the conventions of variable naming and data structure first developed by the RAND Center for the Study of Aging.

The harmonized ELSA COVID data file is built using variables from the harmonized ELSA data file (SN 5050) and the ELSA COVID-19 substudy data files (SN 8688). It does not include any data which is not released under UKDS End User Licence access conditions.

November 2025 Update

For the second edition (November 2025), Version A.2 of the Gateway Harmonized ELSA COVID was deposited, which incorporates the latest released version of ELSA data. The new file contains 7,362 observations. New variables have been added, and adjustments and corrections made. The documentation has also been updated accordingly. For a full list of these please see the accompanying Gateway Harmonized ELSA COVID Documentation (pp.4-5).

BackgroundThe Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial population mental health impact, with evidence indicating that mental health has deteriorated in particular for women. This gender difference could be explained by the distinct experiences of women during the pandemic, including the burden of unpaid domestic labour, changes in economic activity, and experiences of loneliness. This study investigates potential mediators in the relationship between gender and mental health during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.MethodsWe used data from 9,351 participants of Understanding Society, a longitudinal household survey from the UK. We conducted a mediation analysis using structural equation modelling to estimate the role of four mediators, measured during the first lockdown in April 2020, in the relationship between gender and mental health in May and July 2020. Mental health was measured with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Standardized coefficients for each path were obtained, as well as indirect effects for the role of employment disruption, hours spent on housework, hours spent on childcare, and loneliness.ResultsIn a model controlling for age, household income and pre-pandemic mental health, we found that gender was associated with all four mediators, but only loneliness was associated with mental health at both time points. The indirect effects showed strong evidence of partial mediation through loneliness for the relationship between gender and mental health problems; loneliness accounted for 83.9% of the total effect in May, and 76.1% in July. No evidence of mediation was found for housework, childcare, or employment disruption.ConclusionThe results suggest that the worse mental health found among women during the initial period of the Covid-19 pandemic is partly explained by women reporting more experiences of loneliness. Understanding this mechanism is important for prioritising interventions to address gender-based inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Economic activity and mental distress in the complete-case sample.

Physical activity is important for children’s health, but moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) declines with age. COVID-19 lockdowns resulted in reduced MVPA and increased sedentary time among children. Characterising children’s activity patterns may help identify groups who are most likely to be inactive post-lockdown. Data were combined from a pre-COVID-19 cohort study on children aged 5–6 years (Year1: n = 1299), 8–9 years (Year4: n = 1223) and 10–11 years (Year6: n = 1296) and cross-sectional post-lockdown data from a natural experiment on 10-11-year-olds in 2021 (Year6-W1: n = 393) and 2022 (Year6-W2: n = 436). The proportions of time spent in MVPA, light physical activity (LPA) and sedentary time on weekdays and weekends were derived from accelerometer data. Latent class analysis was used to identify activity profiles pre and post-lockdown, and estimate pre-COVID-19 transitions between Year4 and Year6. We identified six pre-COVID-19 activity profiles in Year6, including a new profile characterised by very low MVPA and high sedentary time (19% of children). There was substantial movement between profiles at Year4 and Year6, with 45% moving to a profile with lower MVPA. Likelihood ratio tests suggested differences in Year6 activity profiles pre and post-lockdown, with a new post-lockdown profile emerging characterised by higher LPA. The percentage of children in the least active profiles (where under 20% meet UK physical activity guidelines), rose post-lockdown, from 34% pre-COVID-19 to 50% in 2021 and 40% in 2022. We also saw gender and socioeconomic gaps widen, and increased separation between high and low physical activity levels. Children’s physical activity has changed post-COVID-19, in terms of who is being active and how. The impact varies by activity profile, which is influenced by gender and socio-economic position. A greater understanding of these differences and targeting of low active groups is needed to increase both individual and population levels of physical activity.