More than 25 million people were affected by high levels of anxiety in late March as the decision to put the UK into lockdown triggered fears about health, job security and making ends meet among half the adult population. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said its regular update on wellbeing showed the number of people over 16 reporting deep levels of concern and stress had more than doubled since late 2019. According to the ONS, people’s main concerns were personal wellbeing, their jobs and the impact of Covid-19 on their finances as normal working life was suspended for all but essential workers. Those who thought they would not be able to save any money over the following 12 months reported anxiety 33% higher than those who thought they would be able to. The release of the official wellbeing data comes as the government grapples with how to lift the restrictions, enforced from 24 March, and will add to concerns about the psychological impact of the lockdown. The ONS tracks wellbeing through a survey of around 1,500 people that asks people how anxious and happy they are on a scale of one to 10. Between 20 March and 30 March, the proportion of people registering high levels of anxiety (between six and 10 on the scale) stood at 49.6% of the adult population, or more than 25 million people , up from 21% at the end of 2019. Of those worried about the impact of coronavirus on their lives, the survey suggested about 5.3 million people were most concerned about the effect on their finances; 8.5 million were most concerned about their wellbeing, including boredom, loneliness and stress; and 6.2 million were most concerned about their jobs. Among other concerns cited were the effect of the lockdown on education, relationships and caring responsibilities. With stress levels rising, the number of people reporting a low happiness score of between zero and four stood at 20.7% in late March, compared with 8.4% in the final quarter of last year. With the lockdown now well into its second month, the ONS said there had been a drop-back in the numbers reporting high anxiety, although they remained well above pre-crisis levels. The average anxiety rating was 2.97 in the fourth quarter of 2019, increased to 5.18 in late March, and fell to 4.2 by mid-April. The ONS said those who had already been affected financially in late March were also reporting lower wellbeing; people whose household finances had been hit because of Covid-19 reported 16% higher anxiety on average. It added that people who rented and the self-employed were more likely to have had their household finances and their jobs negatively affected by the pandemic, through reduced income, having to use savings to cover living costs, reduced working hours, and the inability to save for the future. Lucy Tinkler, the head of the ONS’s quality of life team, said: “All measures of personal wellbeing, which include anxiety and happiness, are at their worst levels since we began collecting data in 2011. “This was particularly the case for those who have already been financially affected, as well as those renting and the self-employed. The most recent data showed a slight improvement in anxiety compared to previous weeks, but remained much higher than before the pandemic.”