06.04.2020
Emotions and behavior of Ukrainians during quarantine: a special project
- The results of the survey conducted by Rating Group during the fieldwork dates of April 1–2, 2020, showed that during the quarantine period the frequency of news consumption among respondents increased significantly, with almost half stating that they began following the news more often.
- One third of respondents reported that they started watching films and TV series more often, cleaning their homes, and cooking food. About one quarter indicated that they increased the amount of time devoted to self-development, communication with relatives and close ones, sleep, food, and listening to music. One in five respondents began spending more time on their hobbies, reading books, or engaging in sports.
- At the same time, quarantine significantly affected time spent outdoors: almost half of respondents stated that they now go for walks less often than usual. Restrictions also had a substantial impact on communication with friends, with about 40% reporting that they communicate with them less frequently than before quarantine. One in five respondents was forced to limit communication with relatives and close ones as well as sports activities.
- Certain gender differences in behavioral patterns during quarantine are observed. Women tend to follow the news and cook food somewhat more often. Men more often began engaging in sports and spend more time than usual sleeping, consuming alcohol, and having sex, especially those men who are currently in quarantine and not going to work.
- In terms of age, representatives of the youngest age group (18–29 years) more often than others watch films, engage in self-development, sports, hobbies, communicate with friends and close ones, sleep, eat, listen to music, and have sex. As a result of quarantine, cooking has become more frequent not among older people but among representatives of the youngest and young age groups (under 40 years). Even men are doing this much more actively than before quarantine. It is also noteworthy that respondents under 40 more often than others reported restrictions on outdoor walks.
- An interesting analysis concerns changes in respondents’ behavior depending on their employment status during quarantine. Respondents who do not go to work, either because they are unemployed or working remotely, began devoting significantly more time to sleep, cooking and eating, sports, hobbies, communication with close ones, learning and self-development, books, films, and TV series. Even those who continue going to work began watching more films, following the news more actively, and increasing time spent sleeping and eating, although to a lesser extent than those staying at home during quarantine. Employment status had almost no effect on the frequency of sexual activity.
- Data analysis made it possible to group respondents’ answers into five different models of behavior during quarantine using factor analysis. The first group tries to devote more time to self-development, including sports, hobbies, reading, and learning. Representatives of the second group began resting more, watching films and TV series, eating, sleeping, and listening to music. A separate group during quarantine, referred to as “hedonism,” spends more time on online shopping for goods and food, alcohol consumption, and sex. Representatives of the remaining two groups devote more time either to communication or to household chores.
- Among basic emotions, respondents most often experience joy and interest/excitement. Less pronounced are surprise, anger, sadness, and fear. Even less pronounced are disgust, feelings of guilt, shame, and indifference. Emotions represent the current background of mood and psychological well-being and reflect what a person is experiencing at the moment, unlike feelings, which are usually long-term and stable and do not change significantly under the influence of mood. Emotions are situational and easier to manage, allowing changes in emotional background through simple actions.
- Age differences are also evident in emotional experiences. Representatives of the youngest age group (18–29 years) more often than others experience joy and indifference. Young adults aged 30–39 more often feel anger. Middle-aged respondents more frequently experience surprise. The oldest respondents are less likely than others to feel indifference, hostility, and surprise. Traditionally, at older ages people tend to worry more about others, such as children and grandchildren, and about their own physical condition and health. At the same time, sadness is more often observed among older respondents. It is also notable that the older group experiences fear less often, despite being the main risk group.
- Gender differences in emotions are also observed. Women more often than men experience joy, surprise, interest/excitement, feelings of guilt, and sadness. Men more often experience indifference, hostility/disgust, and anger. Thus, the male emotional spectrum is more concentrated on the negative pole, while the female spectrum is bipolar. This corresponds to a traditional gender distribution of emotions, as women are culturally allowed to express emotions more openly, whereas men are expected to hide them, with the exception of emotions associated with masculinity.
- Interesting relationships are observed between changes in activity frequency during quarantine and emotional state. Activity can influence emotional states, just as emotional states can lead to changes in activity and behavior. Emotional background also depends on a person’s physical condition and environmental factors such as comfortable temperature, sunlight, fresh air, sufficient distance from others, and personal space, all of which help maintain psychological boundaries and improve well-being.
- Those who began following the news more often were also more likely to experience fear and surprise, which is linked to the emotional framing of news content designed to attract attention, often through negative emotions. Those who consume more alcohol more often experience fear, hostility, anger, surprise, and sadness, indicating that alcohol does not improve emotional state but rather deepens destructive experiences.
- Respondents who began communicating less with friends and close ones more often experience sadness and anger, while those who communicate more frequently more often experience joy. Social isolation is an unusual and uncomfortable state, as people are social beings who seek affiliation and social facilitation.
- Those who began engaging more often in sex and online shopping experience more joy and surprise and significantly less sadness. Conversely, respondents who reduced sports, hobbies, or listening to music more often experience negative emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear.
- Those who began sleeping more experience higher levels of indifference, disgust, and anger. Sleep can temporarily reduce stress by switching off emotional experiences but cannot resolve them on its own. Respondents who spend more time outdoors more often experience joy due to positive environmental factors, although they also report increased feelings of guilt related to quarantine restrictions.
- Overall, people can influence their emotional background through simple actions, such as limiting news consumption to reduce anxiety and fear, increasing communication with relatives and friends to experience joy, and engaging in constructive activities such as sex, hobbies, sports, fresh air, and favorite music, while avoiding destructive behaviors such as excessive alcohol consumption, excessive sleep, overexposure to news, and social isolation.
Methodology
- Sample: 1300 residents of Ukraine aged 18 and older.
- The margin of error with confidence level 0.95 does not exceed 4%.
- Fieldwork dates: 1-2 April, 2020. Internet poll using CASI method (Computer-Assisted Self Interviewing).
- Based on a random sampling of mobile phone numbers.
- The project was implemented in collaboration with the National Research Network “POLLARIS”.
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