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Who knew? Most people in lockdown like their own families

It turns out being locked up in our own homes with our own families is not the end of the world

Some said the lockdowns would cause skyrocking divorces:

More couples will SPLIT and divorce rates will skyrocket as strict social distancing rules force partners to spend more time together

Instead, people like spending time with their partners and kids:

Lockdown is making us love our families MORE: Britons are less likely to split up from partners, are eating and sleeping more…

Of all those in live-in relationships, 37 per cent say the experience has led to them wanting to spend more time with their partner, as opposed to the ten per cent who are keen to broaden their horizons again.

A total of 26 per cent say their relationship has improved, while 13 per cent say it has worsened.

Only nine per cent of people think they are now more likely to split up as a result of lockdown, compared to 27 per cent who think it is less likely.

Respondents have, on the whole, also enjoyed being cooped up with their children, with 45 per cent saying it had left them wanting to spend more time with their offspring in future, and just 13 per cent wanting less time.

The survey by the Mail on Sunday finds that people are less likely to divorce, are arguing less, and in a shock, don’t mind spending more time with their spouse and kids. Since they are catching up on sleep, it may make getting along easier.

Deltapoll interviewed 1,564 British adults online on April 30 and May 1. The data has been weighted to be representative of the whole adult population.

This is not to forget that for some life is harder, and the financial pain is bad. (11% saw income go up but 38% said income went down). And we all acknowledge that lockdowns are tougher for singles, both for the young who can’t date and especially for older people living in solitary isolation. It may be singles and the 9% of couples “more likely to split” who said their mood got worse (30%) compared to the 23% who said their mood improved in lockdown.

In the UK, only 31% thought people should be allowed to sunbathe in parks and open spaces. 61% disagreed. Freedom means so much more than just the ability to wander the streets. There is a freedom from fear in places which had less freedom to move.

For those who have lost livelihoods and businesses,  governments could do more to to spread the pain fairly. In New Zealand public servants at least took a twenty percent shave. But in most lands the small business entrepreneurs and service industry workers bore most of the cost while the academics and public servants just worked from home.

It’s time for some to admit that an unplanned holiday in our homes is not a disaster for a large part of the population, nor was it unpopular. In other wars, people were separated for years, went hungry or were called up to put their lives on the line. In this war, health workers are paying a terrible price, but for others, the war effort means staying home and watching TV.

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