Study finds Greeks responded well to lockdown despite uncertainty

Eight in 10 Greeks surveyed in a new study on the impacts of the coronavirus lockdown said they were concerned about their financial situation, though only three in 10 were worried about being left without a job.

The majority, meanwhile, had someone close to talk to about their fears and concerns, in person, by telephone or via the internet. This resulted in a sense of loneliness during the period of isolation affecting just one in 10 respondents and fear for two in 10, according to the study, which was conducted by the Institute for Health Communication and Literacy in cooperation with the Healthpharma website.

The study was conducted on April 23-28 on 1,322 individuals, finding that 41.6 percent claimed to have felt “calm” during the lockdown and 37.1 percent feeling “troubled.” Problems sleeping during the preceding 40 days of the survey were reported by 13.8 percent, with 23.2 percent saying they were having trouble with time management and 15 percent finding it harder to concentrate.

Compliance with the recommendations made by the government’s experts at the onset of the crisis was also high, with 90.3 percent of respondents saying they were diligent about their personal hygiene and 78.6 percent saying they were practicing social distancing.

Six in 10 respondents also expressed confidence in the Health Ministry’s public updates, while a similar percentage said it believes the government has the situation under control. However, 63.5 percent of respondents expressed concern that their personal freedoms were being curbed as a result of measures to contain the spread of the virus.

“Despite the unprecedented nature of the situation, the increased uncertainty, the conflicting scientific evidence and the difficulty of making any predictions about the future, the findings as a whole suggest that we have a very good grasp of the situation and are managing it well,” said the head of the institute, public health professor Efi Simou.