One Quarter Of Icelanders Have COVID Anxiety

A recent survey from Þjóðarpúls Gallup conducted in the latter half of July has shed light on the impact of COVID-19 on anxiety.

One of the most striking differences is the sharp increase in anxiety among Icelanders from the first half of July to the second half. One quarter of the polled population admitted to feeling anxious about COVID-19 in the recent survey, compared to just 11% at the beginning of July.

At the same time, 30% of those surveyed between July 21-August 2 said they are now very afraid of being infected with COVID-19. That is compared with 12% of responders between July 2-12.

Tómas Páll Þorvaldsson, a psychologist at the Anxiety Treatment Centre (Kvíðameðferðarstöðinni), told Vísir that increased uncertainty brings more anxiety. As a result, their waiting lists have never been longer.

As outlined by Kjarninn, the poll also shows that despite the success of widespread vaccinations in the country, currently hovering around 90%, a similar percentage of Icelanders say they are very concerned about the health effects of the virus as during the first wave in March and April of 2020, far before effective vaccines were on the world’s radar.

Older people are also more likely than younger generations to feel concerned about the health effects of COVID-19. 67% of those aged 60 and over said they were concerned while that number ranges between 49-53% among all younger generations that were polled.

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