Lottie Hanwell is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8. She has a degree in English Literature and Spanish, and spends a lot of time thinking, researching and writing about developments in society and culture. On her weekends, she likes to run, read and make a mess in the kitchen.

The start of a new decade may have hailed new opportunities for many – a change in career, travel plans, or perhaps a new business venture – but the spread of COVID-19 has largely grounded these ambitions. With roughly half of the world’s population under some form of lockdown as of the 2nd of April 2020, the pandemic is changing the very nature of civilian life. 

 Confined indoors and leaving many without school or work, the outbreak has fostered a global state of anxiety, uncertainty, and confusion – and there’s little knowledge of how long this will last.

But the crisis is not without its opportunities. Social isolation may have caused widespread disruption to personal agendas, but it’s also leading many people to reassess their relationship with the world around them, with 59% of Britons feeling that coronavirus has brought the country together. 

 In the absence of tightly-packed schedules and burdensome work commitments, some are directing their attention towards helping others – whether that’s by shopping for a neighbour or volunteering in the local community – or are taking the time to catch up (digitally) with friends and family. Indeed, COVID-19 is highlighting the importance of overcoming social divisions and supporting one another through adversity.

As governments and health workers grapple to contain the virus, Canvas8 spoke to 19 people around the world to find out how they are reacting to the pandemic. Aside from the health of themselves and others, what are they most concerned about? How are they coping? And what is their vision of the world moving forward?

Enforced isolation is proving invaluable for over-stretched individuals

I have to say that there's one positive thing in that you can feel – at least in Italy now – a real sense of community, which I didn't think we'd have. I used to be very negative on the way Italian society functioned. I thought we were much more individualistic and this emergency proved me wrong because everybody’s pulled together and everybody's been very brave. You can see a real sense of purpose and almost everybody working for the same goal.

I do wonder when I’ll get to see my mother again and that's been a struggle in the last few days that I didn't realise. It might be another month or, you know, two months. It is what it is. I am in a process of trying to let that go and it will happen hopefully one day again. I keep myself busy here feeding the flatmate, playing chess, organising the kitchen. The kitchen has never been more organised – It's amazing... It's very strange that most of my friends here in Malaga are within a radius of two, three kilometres and we cannot physically see each other.

The other thing that has just happened recently that’s unprecedented... is that mass has been suspended until further notice, which has quite an effect on us Catholics. So that's a shame, [but] not the end of the world. When I can no longer rely on knowing that sometime in the next seven days mass would be available, it makes me realise how serious the situation really is.

It's definitely going to have an impact on our world and how we interact with others, and I just hope it's not going to be like in every crisis. ‘Let's close the borders! We can't trust people coming from outside! We can’t trust others! We have to be paranoid about everything!’ I hope people will take all of this in a better way and say, ‘okay, we have to help each other’. We've heard a lot at the moment about how it's easy to save lives. You just have to do nothing and stay at home. So, we have this concentration, even if we’re doing nothing, of unity and I hope we keep this up as well.

I'm trying to kind of keep positive and not let things overwhelm me. I'm trying to keep informed, but also keep the news cycle at arm's length a little bit so that I'm hearing what I need to know but not having a constant barrage of doom and gloom. I’m trying to keep in contact with people, keep active as much as I can. It's a couple of weeks into things now, so the stir craziness hasn’t settled in quite as much as it potentially could have... I think, generally, there's a feeling between my social circles that as horrible as everything is at the moment, hopefully there will be some silver linings and we can learn from this whole pandemic.

While some are using their free time to snooze, others are keen to build skills

A big concern, I guess, is the time period and how long you have to be in here and how much of life is put on hold. It helps knowing that everybody else is doing the same. But I guess my concern is that I'm not going to be able to afford a holiday in the summer. [It’s] a small thing, but it brings me a lot of pleasure and joy. I’m concerned that the summer will come and we won't be able to go anywhere. I guess one of the biggest challenges is life being put on hold and feeling restricted from spending time in the way that you would choose to.

I hope that capitalism has a bit of a shift in its prominence in our society… I think it might be nice to see a bit of a shift throughout the country in the way that we think about our role in society and how we can play a part in making things better for other people and we’re less focused on consumerism. I'm also hopeful that it's having quite a significant impact on our climate. We're already seeing the short-term effect because of the reduction in plane travel and things like that. But I'm wondering what a good few months’ break is going to do in terms of global movement for the environment.

I’m positive because this is time that we can use to create and feel inspired. [We have] more time to ourselves for doing the things that we love so that we can change and improve ourselves in a way. I think this is a great opportunity for all of us to create new things, if you’re really creative. But my biggest concern is [around] when this is going to end, if it's going to be soon or if it's going to take, I don't know, two years or one year. I don't want to be quarantined for the rest of my life. I feel like a prisoner right now.

There's not very much positive stuff coming out of this. It's very uncertain at the moment, so we're just trying to get through it all. My biggest concerns would be people and how they're making money because, personally, I get my spending money from working, but my store has closed down… So anyone who isn't able to work right now, I have concerns for them because the government is sending out $1,200 to people who need it, but that is not sufficient for what we need during this time.

My attitude is super-positive. I'm using this as an opportunity mostly to work on parts of myself and my skills that I've been wanting to work on. I started my current job within four days of finishing my last exam at university, so I actually didn't have much of a break to consider my career options and things like that. I'm slowly starting to realise that maybe I do want to take a different direction, so I'm treating this as a blessing in disguise. I’m just investing a lot of my time in that development and I'm really enjoying it. My outlook is a little bit less positive because there are a lot of question marks surrounding how long this is going to last.

Could the shock of a pandemic spark long-term shifts across society?

I’m concerned for businesses and self-employed people, like little restaurants, little coffee shops, and so on. I'm pretty sure they won’t have a big amount of money in the bank and it will take some time until they get some money from the government. It's a huge impact on everyone who is self-employed… Especially in Germany, we have a lot of small and medium businesses, a lot of self-employed people who work on their own, and they can't make money right now.

I'm a week into social distancing now. The weekend was really tough. I feel like I'm still very up and down. It's very, very strange trying to get used to a lack of routine and also not being able to plan. I can't plan for a week’s time, which is very strange because normally I know what's happening in a month, two months, three months’ time. So, I think the uncertainty is very challenging for me, but I'm really enjoying the sunshine and really enjoying being at home a bit more. I’m just trying to make time to enjoy myself rather than... trying to plan for every eventuality because it's impossible.

How is the country going to get through all this? How is the government going to be able to pay for it all and get solvent? Nearly all the employed people are getting some pay from the government and I don't think the companies that employ them will pay it back. So I guess it will have to come through the tax system over the years. I think the cost of it all to the country will be many more billions than have already been suggested, because I think it may last longer. I'm worried about how long this is going to go on for. I think that's the one major concern. Mind you, I think probably next January and February there will be a big baby boom, which the NHS will have to cope with having just gotten rid of the virus. They'll never be finished.

In the future, I think I will appreciate ordinary life and everyday little things more. Learning to spend less money can also be a useful lesson for the future. There are going to be consequences of all kinds and the coronavirus aftermath could be heavy after going back to normality. Everybody's concern after all this is that something similar may happen again, similar episodes might be recurrent, so the world must be prepared.

A big concern is the financial future, the short-, long-, and medium-term consequences. I don't see how many companies and businesses will survive this situation. Maybe we’ll adapt and find new ways of doing business. Spain, obviously, has a massive tourism industry and many hotels [and] restaurants will be facing very hard times.

For self-isolators unable to work at home, financial fears abound

I'm trying to be positive and think of the good things that come out of this, which I think are really important for society. So, I think that's being considerate and being more careful about how we use resources and how we look after other people. Also, you know, it's an opportunity to hit pause for a lot of people that might have needed it to realise that life can't really function at a thousand miles per hour. It's not healthy. This is now a good time to garden. If you want to pick up a book, if you've been meaning to read it for a while, or talk to family and spend some time with them if you can…

I’m wondering whether my 2020 vision is going to turn into my 2021 vision and I’m at a point of acceptance – if that's the case, then okay.

Since I'm in a very stable position job-wise and financially, I'm not too worried. I guess the only real problem I have is being away from my family or not being able to visit as my grandma is fairly old. Not being able to meet friends, go out, and not being able to have any social life... those are probably my biggest concerns, which is a rather privileged position to be in. Additionally, I’m concerned about homeless people, refugees, etc. – all those people who have it very hard anyways but are now hit the hardest and slightly forgotten.

I’ve enjoyed the fact that people are going out of their way to connect with each other and socialise digitally and hopefully bring a bit more of a sense of passion and caring to the community. I think it’s like with big social events, the fact that it's a single experience – it doesn't matter about class or money or anything like that, everyone's sort of going through the same shit… It also draws attention to the fact that government policies in the past have not been great for what are now frontline workers. I think people are now very aware of those people who are... doing food production as a minimum wage job. It’s highlighted just how important they always are in running the country. So, hopefully, we'll be nicer to everyone.

Our outlook is quite positive in that we want to remain motivated and we limit the amount of news we watch. We know what the government guidelines are and we follow them to the best of our ability. I don't shop anymore, I have friends and neighbours who do it. I do miss my family and my greatest concern... is not losing the momentum we gained with Jim’s stroke and also just general health for everybody. I worry about my family. My sons are not with us at the moment and I know they're sensible, but I still worry about it. And I miss my sister who visited almost every day and brought us lovely things, but we're managing okay.

People are well aware that staying in is the best thing they can do for now

Whether it’s missing out on a favourite exercise class or being unable to attend religious services, self-isolation is depriving people of the physical, spiritual, and cultural fulfilment that they take from their daily lives. But as brands and businesses work to digitise services, the pandemic is reshaping what was once considered possible from the comfort of home. Companies that may once have relied on physical contact have the opportunity to meet people in new online spaces. 

, for example, are facilitating live concerts from musicians, BrewDog has created an 

, a virtual salon created to ease people into at-home hair care.

, many people are actively limiting their exposure to COVID-19-related content for the sake of their mental health. Two-thirds of people in the UK feel anxious or worried about the outbreak, and 22% of Americans surveyed between the 13th and 16th of March reported a decline in their mental health over the previous week. 

 “I'm trying to keep informed, but also keep the news cycle at arm's length a little bit so that I'm hearing what I need to know but not having a constant barrage of doom and gloom,” says Matthew, 26, from the UK. In the context of global fear and anxiety, moments of levity can provide a welcome distraction from negative news updates. Of course, no brand wants to be seen making light of the health crisis, but parodying the more mundane aspects of lockdown lifestyles through memes could create positive brand associations and bring joy to stressed-out individuals.

Everybody's concern after all this is that something similar may happen again, similar episodes might be recurrent, so the world must be prepared.

“I'm using this as an opportunity mostly to work on parts of myself and my skills that I've been wanting to work on,” says Holly, 22, from Spain. For many people left unable to work or without a job, social isolation means having an unprecedented amount of free time. Many are looking for ways to use this time productively, giving brands the opportunity to help them upskill. Micro-learning platforms, such as Google’s 

, are likely to do well in this climate by giving people access to easily-digestible learning opportunities, tailored to their existing skillsets. Online education opportunities could also prove crucial for children unable to attend school. 

, for example, is offering free lessons to quarantined kids, while fitness coach Joe Wicks has effectively become the UK’s PE teacher by offering free classes every weekday for children and their parents. 

As the pandemic drives people to be more socially-minded, there’s a growing expectation for brands to contribute to the good of society. Research from Edelman found that 78% of people globally want businesses to act to protect their employees and the local community from the effects of the virus. 

 For many, this means prioritising social initiatives over short-term revenue. In Spain, a number of advertising agencies have signed a pledge to #PararParaSeguir ('Stop to Continue'), which vows to “forget about today’s return to ensure the future.” YouTube has similarly taken a stance on the issue by forbidding all but a select few creators from monetising videos about COVID-19. 

 Companies that fail to address such calls risk long-term harm to their brand image. 

, for example, was criticised for continuing to sell undersupplied medical gear to the general public in some Washington stores.

Global

Communications

Home and Relationships

Mental health

'Coronavirus latest: Global coronavirus infections top 1 million', DW

'Do you think the coronavirus outbreak has brought the UK together, or pulled it further apart?', YouGov

'Monthly poll seeks to gauge mental health of UK under coronavirus', The Guardian

'Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: Americans hit by stress, job losses', Axios

'Coronavirus: Minecraft offers free lessons to children', BBC News

'Coronavirus: Joe Wicks keeps children fit with online PE classes', BBC News

'Edelman Trust Barometer special report on COVID-19 demonstrates essential role of the private sector', Edelman

'YouTube will now allow creators to monetize videos about coronavirus and COVID-19', TechCrunch

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the nature of daily life, from postponing major events and shutting down entire industries to restricting the movement of billions worldwide. Canvas8 spoke to 19 people to understand how they’re coping with and adapting to these changes.

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What can I do!? The science of seeking control

How will COVID-19 impact long-term behaviours?

French media outlets offer free relief in self-isolation