Four out of 10 urban Indians became lonelier amid the Coronavirus pandemic: Survey

At least four in 10 urban Indians (45 per cent) feel lonelier due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new global survey by Ipsos has shown.

However, a similar number of urban Indians also said their spirits were up, despite the gloom. Though 28 per cent of urban Indians were feeling depressed and sad, global citizens were more deeply impacted, with 4 in 10 being in a gloomy state of mind and 2 in 10 feeling positive.

"Lockdowns and restrictions put the brakes on socialising and people-to-people close interactions, which made people experience a new kind of loneliness, turning them into forced reclusiveness, which many had to deal with in different ways. Digital connectivity and new hobbies made much re-access happiness and people found their own ways of staying motivated. Like some were glued to social media and OTT for entertainment. While some took solace in close family bonding, with everyone homebound," says Amit Adarkar, CEO, Ipsos India.

On the upside, more than half of all urban Indians believed their local community became more supportive during the pandemic. China (55 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (51 per cent) too held similar views. Countries that experienced the least support of local communities during the pandemic were Japan (10 per cent) and Russia (13 per cent), shows the multi-country survey conducted between December 2020 and January 2021.

"Whether gated communities or neighbourhoods, there was a feeling of oneness and bonhomie towards one another, during the pandemic," added Adarkar.