What do we value more?

By Geraldine Fitzgerald

Freedom and health. That’s what most of the population are saying they value most in the aftermath of the global pandemic, with eight out of ten people in Ireland saying they’ll have to approach their own wellbeing differently because of Covid-19.

The pandemic has had a profound impact on the way we view our own lives, according to a new survey conducted by Royal London Insurance and undertaken by iReach.

89 per cent of respondents, after lockdown and travel restrictions, now place far greater importance on their freedom and at least 81 per cent say their approach to their own health and wellbeing has changed due in part to Covid-19.

The findings also showed that the young people of Ireland were most likely to say the pandemic has changed the way they view the ‘big things’ in life – family, friends, career, health and wellbeing, work life balance and freedom.

Sara Murphy, Marketing Lead at Royal London said: “A global crisis of the nature and scale of Covid-19 has caused uncertainty and anxiety for people all over the world. Many have experienced loss, health fears, social isolation, work and disruption, and economic instability. Going through such things can understandably alter a person’s perspective, leading to a greater focus on what’s important and potentially causing a change in outlook.

“Our survey found that 81 per cent of people in Ireland have changed their approach to how they take care of their wellbeing, at least a little bit, due to the pandemic. Those in the 18–24 year old age bracket were most likely to have experienced this change: 63 per cent of respondents in this age group said their approach towards their own wellbeing had changed “a lot”, compared to just 20 per cent of 35–44 year olds.”

Age factor

People’s priorities and what they consider important have changed, according to what stage of life they are at. “The two youngest age brackets (18-24 and 25-34 year olds) are most likely to indicate their working priorities have changed since the pandemic. For example, 86 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 77 per cent of 25-34 year olds say work life balance is more important now, compared to 57 per cent of people aged 55 and over.