According to responses gathered from a recent survey by Glow this weekend, almost two-thirds of Brits surveyed are confident of being able to help and support people who are struggling with their emotional well-being. This is a surprising response from a citizenry once characterised by reticence and reluctance to talk openly about mental health issues. Encouragingly, almost two thirds of the survey respondents felt comfortable to ask for that help when needed.  

Supporting this enhanced awareness of emotional issues, over 40 percent of respondents were aware that it was Global Mental Health Day on Saturday 10 October. 

The rapid response survey was undertaken by data research and analytics firm Glow and investigated current attitudes to coping during the ongoing COVID crisis. The survey featured 1031 respondents across the United Kingdom aged 18 years and older, from 9-12 October 2020. This contained a representative sample based on current census data. 

Findings showed, while participants say they are worried about job security over the next three to six months (57 percent of workers) they were also optimistic about the eventual outcome, with almost 70 percent of workers expressing confidence in their organisation’s capability to manage staff changes well.

Perhaps that positivity is a result of a focus on self-care –  almost 40 percent of respondents had taken some quality ‘me-time’ alone in the preceding week. And answers show Brits have heeded the advice regarding exercise – more than half have done more walking during lockdown (54 percent), and activity levels for yoga, pilates, jogging, and cycling have remained static. 

Alarmingly, however, some 18 percent of respondents confessed to not having taken any time for themselves in the past three months showing room for improved awareness of the value of short periods of respite. 

While respondents have walking more, there are also things deeply missed in recent months. Some 49 percent of respondents have missed going out to dinner, 32 percent have found it hard to forgo films in the cinema, and 31 percent just want to go out for drinks. 

In months that have seen racial tensions explode in the USA and reverberate globally (including the UK), continuing dissatisfaction with the pace of change around gender equality, and calls for increased support of minorities, diversity has been another top-of-mind issue.

The survey revealed that nearly 60 percent of respondents knew that October is Black History Month and almost two-thirds of workers thought that their own workplace was taking action to achieve greater diversity and foster inclusivity in the workplace. Before we pat ourselves on the back, it should be noted that 6 percent said their firm does not acknowledge diversity and inclusion. That may be a small number, but in today’s Britain it is way too high.