Two thirds of New Zealanders believed there were ‘silver linings’ to the country’s Alert Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown imposed in March last year, a University of Otago survey has found.
One year on from lockdown, the results of their study have been published in the international scientific journal, PLOS ONE.
“Lockdown represented a major flashpoint in people’s lives and created an opportunity to stop, take stock and to reflect and connect with others.
They described an ‘old fashioned sense of community and caring … that was not apparent before lockdown’.”.
Increased flexibility in working from home and reduced time spent commuting was frequently mentioned as one of the silver linings of lockdown, enabling people to spend more time with their families.
“Our findings show that in a time of turmoil, unrest and psychological distress, many people nonetheless found silver linings.
The full article, ‘Silver linings of the COVID-19 lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand’ is published in the international scientific journal, PLOS ONE. »