Research
You will find a complete range of our monographs, muti-authored and edited works including peer-reviewed, original scholarly research across the social sciences and aligned disciplines. We publish long and short form research and you can browse the complete Bristol University Press and Policy Press archive.
Policy Press also publishes policy reviews and polemic work which aim to challenge policy and practice in certain fields. These books have a practitioner in mind and are practical, accessible in style, as well as being academically sound and referenced.
Was everybody in it together? In the early days of the pandemic, diarists had been singled out for special protection on account of their age and supposed vulnerability. Many were unhappy about this, regarding themselves as fortunate because of their generally comfortable and advantaged position, and as they were able to avoid contact with the virus. They were at much less risk of illness and death than essential workers, those with health conditions other than COVID-19, those in certain areas of business, and those in certain racial and ethnic groups and/or geographical locations. In this sense, not everybody was in it together. A sense of togetherness was not, however, altogether absent. For their own part, diarists wrote about their affinity with family, friends and acquaintances, the enhanced significance of local communities, and how they had forged stronger and more mutually supportive links with neighbours than ever before. Many also had their pets for company. Commonalities were further reinforced through shared humour.
The pandemic brought clouds but these could also have silver linings. Things that were missed might give rise to unexpected benefits. Thus being compelled to stay at home most of the time meant spending more time with partners, which could be rewarding. Not being allowed to meet families and friends led to much Zooming which inspired creative and enjoyable activities. And the spare time some diarists acquired allowed them to engage in new activities that could provide interest and joy. Becoming greater environmental citizens, enjoying walking and gardening and the unaccustomed peace, and paying more attention to flora and fauna, were commonly mentioned as high spots of lockdown. Celebrations also often turned out to be much more enjoyable than had been anticipated. Lockdown life could give rise to cognitive dissonance and personal moods were up and down.
The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed personal freedoms and was unprecedented in our times. This chapter highlights the main conclusions from the previous chapters examining the reactions and behaviours of 68 older diarists to the changed circumstances. It describes the dominance of the pandemic, the uncertainty and anxiety that abounded, and the pragmatic adaptations that were made. Social interactions took on a new meaning and encounters with the environment, place, space and time changed too. Altruism was in evidence and often extended to communities and neighbourhoods in a manner not seen before. The character of the pandemic was, nonetheless, in constant flux as laws changed, a vaccine was developed, and legal restrictions gave way to individual caution. Everybody’s experience was different, with the diarists generally counting themselves among the most fortunate. Overall, it was a critical period of social history from which it is hoped lessons will be learned. Anybody who lived through the time would be unlikely to forget it.
The lockdowns had been imposed with little notice and were accompanied by clear directives. Life as it had been known was on hold while new rules and restrictions held sway. Diarists had been quick to adapt to the new order but found it more difficult to return to some semblance of their former life. Restrictions and permissions were continually changing and, increasingly, they had to make their own pragmatic decisions on the adaptations they would continue to make. The availability of a vaccine to protect against COVID-19 was an important factor in the return to a semblance of former normality but did not immediately reduce a sense of caution among the diarists. Some anticipated that the pandemic would, in some way or another, leave them changed forever.
COVID-19 reached the shores of Britain in early 2020 and led to the first national lockdown towards the end of March that year. Sixty-eight diarists aged 70 or over recorded their experiences and thoughts over the following months. This introductory chapter sets the scene and outlines the government’s initial reaction to the pandemic. It also discusses the importance and tradition of charting social history, and illustrates how the current project complements other accounts of the pandemic in this respect. The recruitment of the diarists (who were essentially white, comfortably well-off, and educated older people), and the collection and analysis of the diary entries, are also described. Brief outlines of the following chapters, where the findings are discussed in the context of the legislative framework, relevant research, and a social interactionism perspective, are presented
The new order brought expectations of acceptable behaviour. In some cases this was mandated by law, such as social distancing, wearing masks, and restrictions on encounters in homes and gardens. Most diarists were generally compliant with the formal restrictions, even though almost everybody admitted to some counter behaviour at some time. In other respects, diarists and others were required to make their own assessments of risk and decide on their own precautions. Uncertainty about the presence and transmission of the virus prevailed and diarists responded variously, either largely discounting risk from everyday objects or adopting stringent measures to ensure they were virus free. Institutional change took place as well. Hospital and medical services, for instance, were still functioning for conditions other than COVID-19, but were doing so differently. Funerals could still go ahead, but these had gone online for the majority of mourners. And shopping had become a different experience, as had almost everything else. These changed circumstances called for widespread and pragmatic adaptation.
The COVID-19 pandemic took many by surprise when it arrived in Britain in early 2020. Daily lives changed dramatically with the introduction of unprecedented restrictions and lockdowns. How did people react?
This book draws on the diaries of 68 men and women aged 70 and above, capturing their thoughts and experiences over the following months. Although these older diarists considered themselves among the more fortunate at the time, their entries reveal both highs and lows. There were anxieties and frustrations but also much positivity and, often, a reluctance for an over-hasty return to pre-pandemic times.
Through these personal and contemporaneous accounts, the book offers a unique contribution to our understanding of the pandemic and its significance in modern social history.
The ‘new normal’ prohibited many of the taken-for-granted aspects of daily life, but diarists quickly adapted to their changed circumstances. Time took on a new meaning and, especially in the early stages of the pandemic, there were likely to be few commitments to give structure to the day. As the weeks went by, however, many diarists developed routines or otherwise found things to occupy their time. Homes, gardens, puzzles, TV and reading were among the occupations that diarists turned to. Projects of various kinds, and sorting and de-cluttering, were also commonly mentioned. Zoom, however, was perhaps the new activity that became pre-eminently important. The internet enabled not only communication with family and friends, but a wide range of other activities to keep diarists busy during lockdowns. Food became another preoccupation for many. Planning meals, and sourcing, preparing and eating ingredients took on, for many, a heightened significance. Attention to appearance, and spending patterns, were also affected by the pandemic.
There was a gradual, but quite brief, period between the time that most diarists became aware of the severity of COVID-19 and its arrival in Britain. There had been news of a pandemic taking hold in China, but at first there was not too much concern that it would come to Britain. However, once the first case was announced in this country, it did not take long before hospitalisations and deaths were rising rapidly. The consequent legislation and lockdown meant that rapid decisions and changes of plan were suddenly called for as life as it had been known became different for the foreseeable future. Some diarists had to decide where to live, others had to hasten back from distant shores, and almost all were faced with a plethora of cancellations from holidays to voluntary or paid occupations to medical appointments. Diarists witnessed the unusual peace in the largely traffic-free physical environment and quickly began to respond to the new social order. They embarked on a process of adaptation to the uncertainties of the ‘new normal’, often with a good measure of stoicism.
The first national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented legislation in its wake. Never in the diarists’ (and others’) lifetimes had comparable legal restrictions been in force. Living in Britain, a liberal, democratic country, being ordered to stay at home and concur with a raft of measures that curtailed their freedom was unknown. There was, nonetheless, a high level of compliance with the new orders and restrictions, among the diarists as well as within the population at large. Whether this was expected or unexpected is debatable. It would seem that the uncertainty of the situation, the invisibility of the virus, the bombardment of messages from media, the daily reminders of hospitalisations and deaths, the continuous speculation about the progress of the pandemic, the surveillance by police and children, and the actions of other moral entrepreneurs, contributed to widespread anxiety and fear. These were almost certainly powerful motivators that encouraged a general culture of acceptance of the new emergency measures.
