The government has to strike a balance over coronavirus rules this Christmas

Editorial: It makes sense to pitch the rules so that they achieve maximum compliance

Some coronavirus restrictions are being eased later in the month (PA)

It was only nine months ago, but it seems as if it were a different age, when the behavioural scientists warned the government that it would be difficult to maintain compliance with rules against social mixing for several months. 

At the time, they were met with some scepticism, because it was said that of course people would stick to the coronavirus-related rules if they knew that other people’s lives depended on it. 

It is true that in the early phase of the first lockdown, and among much of the population since, compliance has been higher than expected and has been sustained. But the social scientists did know what they were talking about. For a large minority of the population, the rules have become too much trouble – even finding out what the rules are can require what some people regard as too much effort – or, more justifiably, as causing too much hardship.