Recent research, undertaken by B&A just after An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar’s address on 27^th March, clearly demonstrates how worried people are about the coronavirus.  Health is practically everybody’s concern – either their own and / or someone else’s - with 3 in 4 also worried about the financial implications of this virus.

The research found that there was strong buy in from the Irish public for the measures introduced along with a definite consensus that the government is doing a good job.

As a nation, we’re pretty well informed with most of us getting our Covid-19 information from TV, followed by online.  TV, as a source of information, spans both young and old with younger audiences also reliant on online information sources.  When it comes to most trusted sources, TV has no competition:  8 in 10 adults say it is their most trusted source for information compared to just 1% saying the same about Social Media.

RTÉ fared very well in this research with 4 in 5 indicating that they are using RTÉ TV or Radio for information.  76% said they trust RTÉ above all other sources. 

Of course, Covid-19 has had an impact on behaviour and this is bourne out by this research: for example, 30% of us have reduced spending and over half (52%) having cancelled a holiday.  Looking to the future, plenty of intentions are online with for example, 7 in 10 open to conducting health appointments online and 6 in 10 interesting in taking classes online.  Unfortunately, most people expect the economy to deteriorate with 3 in 10 very worried about the impact of Covid-19 on their own personal finances.

This research was conducted online among a nationally representative sample of 1000 adults 18+.  Fieldwork took place during period 27^th March – 1^st April 2020 and coincided with the introduction of further restrictions (e.g. exercise only to be taken within 2km of your home and advice that over 70s should cocoon)