More than 3,000 people in rural communities across Scotland were polled in October and November 2020 to investigate the psychological, social and financial effects of the Covid-19 restrictions on people living in rural areas.
When asked how lonely they were feeling, 32 per cent of those aged 18 to 29 years old said they felt lonely most or all of the time. This compares with three per cent in the 70 to 79 age group, and 8 per cent of the total surveyed.
The RuralCovidLife survey is one of the first to provide insight into rural areas, where one in six people in Scotland live and work, organisers from the University of Edinburgh said.
Connectivity
Internet connectivity is an issue for many with 19 per cent of those surveyed reporting that their current broadband connections were either poor or very poor.
Some 87 per cent said that high-speed broadband was very important to be able to work from home.
Reliable high-speed broadband was also an important way of keeping in contact with friends and family for 67 per cent of participants, which could be important for counteracting loneliness, experts said.
Transport
Public transport use was found to have declined drastically during the pandemic. Only 24 per cent of those surveyed used it, down from 76 per cent prior to the pandemic.
RuralCovidLife is part of Generation Scotland, a long-term Scotland-wide research project looking at the health and wellbeing of volunteers and their families. Generation Scotland participants have answered questions on their medical history and lifestyle, and granted researchers access to their health records.