Of the young people surveyed 35 per cent said their relationships had worsened compared with 12 per cent of adults aged 60 and over.
(Picture: Handout)More than one-fifth of adults found their relationships broke down during the pandemic, according to a new study.
Young people aged 18 to 29 were most likely to report a collapse in their romantic attachments, the University College London’s Covid-19 Social Study found.
In comparison, 35 per cent of young adults said their relationships suffered while 12 per cent of adults aged 60 and over experienced the same thing.
Experts suggested losing a job, not being able to see people outside their household and worries about money troubles could have been factors in relationships breaking down.
The study’s lead author, Dr Elise Paul from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health, said the report highlighted “the mixed impact of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
She told The Guardian: “Younger adults reporting a better relationship with their spouse or partner may have benefited from furlough or remote working allowing them to spend more time together.
“On the other hand, the stress of the pandemic and lockdown measures which prevented people from seeing those outside their household may have contributed to the breakdown of other relationships, particularly those with people who do not live close by.”
The study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, had more than 70,000 participants.
On the otherhand, nearly half of young adults reported the quality of their relationship had improved in the past year.
Mostly people satisified in their relationships were adults aged 30-59 and 60 and over.
It comes after a quarter of adults were found to have not hugged someone for more than a year.
