Table 1

Demographics, socioeconomic characteristics and COVID-19 risk perceptions, N=2108

CharacteristicNoWeighted %
Demographic and socioeconomic
Age (years) 
 18–2421811.1
 25–3429414.4
 35–4439619.3
 45–5435517.5
 55–6951924.2
 70 or above32613.5
Sex 
 Male98748.0
 Female109450.7
 Prefer not to say271.3
Ethnicity 
 White group198593.9
 Asian/Asian British482.4
 Black/African/Caribbean/Black British201.0
 Other ethnic group, including mixed/multiple ethnic groups391.9
 Prefer not to say160.77
Marital status 
 Married, civil partnership or living as married128360.3
 Separated, divorced or widowed27012.2
 Never married54527.1
 Prefer not to say100.45
Area of residence 
 London23913.1
 North52223.3
 Midlands53125.2
 South48522.5
 Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales33115.9
Education 
 No formal qualification1215.5
 Secondary-level qualification85942.1
 Post-secondary level, below bachelor1486.9
 Bachelor level or above66430.8
 Other technical, professional or higher qualification24511.2
 Don’t know321.6
 Prefer not to say392.0
Employment status 
 Working full time88943.4
 Working part time29214.1
 Full-time student1125.6
 Retired55323.6
 Unemployed or not working20710.5
 Other552.8
Household income 
 <£20 00044020.7
 £20 000–£29 99935516.8
 £30 000–£49 99947222.4
 £50 000 and over42920.6
 Don’t know1035.1
 Prefer not to say30914.4
Savings 
 Less than £10027813.6
 £100–£99924211.8
 £1000–£499930514.5
 £5000–£24 99935916.6
 £25 000 or more35916.6
 Prefer not to say56526.9
Housing tenure 
 Own—outright68130.4
 Own—mortgage/shared ownership63930.8
 Rent—private landlord31915.6
 Rent—local authority/housing association21910.7
 Live with parents, family or friends21510.7
 Other351.8
COVID-19 risk perceptions 
Level of worry about the current COVID-19 outbreak in the UK 
 Worried164077.4
 Not worried45421.9
 Don’t know140.74
Perceived susceptibility* 
 Likely97947.5
 Neither likely or unlikely54726.2
 Unlikely33715.9
 Don’t know22010.5
Perceived severity† 
 I would expect it to be life-threatening1034.7
 I would expect it to be severe (eg, may need care and treatment in hospital)30614.2
 I would expect it to be moderate (eg, may need self-care and rest in bed)118056.9
 I would expect it to be mild (eg, can go about daily tasks normally)35117.2
 I would expect to have no symptoms331.7
 Don't know1105.3

  • *Under the UK government’s current preventive measures (at the time of the study), how likely or unlikely do you think it is you will be infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) at any point in the future?

  • †Please imagine you were infected with coronavirus (ie, COVID-19), which of the following do you think would best apply?