Coronavirus tracked: What people believe is and isn't socially acceptable despite government lockdown rules

Charting what people think is acceptable about socialising, exercising outside, or having someone clean their home - despite government rules

A runner wearing a gas mask, eye protection and gloves jogs over Westminster Bridge in London, 23 April, 2020. (Reuters)

The British Government may not have been very clear about what is and isn’t allowed under the UK’s loosened lockdown rules, but a new poll reveals what behaviours are considered socially acceptable by the public during the coronavirus pandemic.

Market research firm Ipsos MORI interviewed more than 1,000 British adults between 8-11 May to determine the levels of public support for various activities under lockdown, ranging from visiting loved ones, to outsourcing childcare.

The survey showed that individual pursuits are generally deemed acceptable, while having a cleaner or nanny visit is severely frowned upon.

More than half of the 1,069 participants, who ranged in age from 18 to 75, said they found having a cleaner visit to be ”very unacceptable”.

Exercising outdoors elicited a broader range of responses, with a similar number of people finding it acceptable as those who found it unacceptable.

The majority of activities were generally deemed unacceptable during the coronavirus lockdown period.

“As lockdown restrictions are gradually eased, there is some evidence that public opinion needs to play catch-up,” said Ipsos research director Keiran Pedley.

“From this week, nannies and cleaners will be allowed to return to work but our survey over the past weekend shows that few think having people in their homes to do these jobs is acceptable in the current climate.”

Even having a non co-habiting boyfriend or girlfriend visit is largely considered unacceptable, with nearly three quarters of those surveyed expressing disapproval.

Socialising with friends or family members in the garden is viewed as more acceptable, though still a majority find it unacceptable.

Despite the environmental impact, more people think it is socially acceptable to drive a car in order to “relax” during the coronavirus lockdown.

Mr Pedley noted that these opinions “may change as new rules are better understood,” however he warned that the public should not expect things to “return to normal overnight”.

As lockdown rules begin to ease, gyms, hairdressers and beauty salons remain closed. But even if they were to open, separate research by online data firm Statista shows that a significant proportion of people would still be unwilling to visit them.

More than half of the 713 UK adults questioned in the Statista Covid-19 Barometer survey, which was conducted between 4-10 May, said they would avoid restaurants, pubs, cinemas and large events, even if lockdown restrictions were lifted.

Read more: Which lockdown tier am I in? How to work out which tier your area falls under