Seven in ten medical workers think government lockdown advice has been unclear
YouGov polling conducted shortly after the government revealed the coronavirus “Tier” system indicates widespread confusion among British clinicians
In October 2020, a majority of the British public believed that the government’s advice around the new COVID-19 tier system was clear (54%) – with four in ten saying it was not clear (42%).
But YouGov polling conducted shortly after the new tier system was introduced (October 13 -19) indicates that the country’s healthcare professionals do not necessarily feel the same way.
When asked, seven out of ten (71%) said the government’s COVID-19 lockdown guidance was unclear. Of this group, a third (34%) went as far as to say it was “not clear at all”, while 37% said it was “not very clear”. Only three in ten (29%) believed that the government’s advice was clear, and most did not believe it without qualification: 24% said it was “fairly clear” and just 5% said it was “very clear”.
On balance, British NHS staff were more likely to take issue with the UK government’s COVID-19 advice than their counterparts in the private sector: 72% of the former group – who make up a much larger proportion of our sample – said it was unclear compared to 65% of the latter.
Men are also more likely to have trouble interpreting the guidance than women: 75% of male medical workers find the government’s guidance to be unclear compared to 69% of women. Approaching four in ten (38%) male medical workers go as far as to say it is “not clear at all”.
The lack of clarity among medical staff may have consequences for the government’s strategy: if healthcare professionals are misunderstanding the official advice, they may increase the risk of endangering colleagues, patients, and the people around them.