The second report of the Come-Here study published by the University of Luxembourg analyses the responses of 8,000 people who participated in the survey in May in Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

It found the lowest income groups in Luxembourg and France were particularly exposed to the pandemic’s negative effects. Although the report doesn’t spell out why, it may be because it refers to frontline workers in shops and hygiene roles, who were not to telework during the lockdown. While there were no negative effects shown between unemployment and life satisfaction in Luxembourg and Germany, the effect of cohabiting had a bigger impact on respondents in Luxembourg and France. Luxembourg stood out as the only country in which the number of children was found to negatively correlate with life satisfaction, “perhaps reflecting the higher levels of perceived stress (for example in relation to childcare)” the report authors wrote.

Single respondents in Luxembourg who have never been married were more likely to consider life less worthwhile, as were the unemployed. Across all countries, women reported higher levels of perceived stress, along with the unemployed, people in relationships who live apart and low earners. Stress levels were much lower in the elderly. However, across all countries, people living in residential or retirement homes had the highest levels of depressive symptoms, possibly because at the time several countries stopped visits to limit potential infection.

Loneliness

High rates of loneliness were reported among single people who were never married, or divorced or widowed people and those living in a relationship but apart. Loneliness was also higher in households with three or more children. “This may seem counterintuitive at first sight, but it may reflect the lack of contact with friends, in circumstances where social distancing measures were in place, in addition to the responsibility of having to take care of a large family,” the authors wrote. Low earners also recorded high levels of loneliness.

In Luxembourg, middle-aged respondents reported the highest loneliness scores, in contrast to other countries which recorded a negative age slope.

The second report was published on 18 September.