Study design and procedure

We conducted a longitudinal online study of the general public, collecting data at two time points throughout the first pandemic wave (April to August 2020; Fig. ​Fig.1).1). At both time points, participants reported OC³⁵, anxiety, and depression symptoms³⁶ using standardised questionnaires. In addition, we recorded participants’ Covid-19-related information seeking with a new scale (cf. below) as well as whether they had received a positive Covid-19 test or/and had essential worker status (as defined by the UK government) during or before data collection. At the first time point (T1), participants also reported their baseline news and social media consumption and completed a cognitive ability assessment³⁷ serving as an IQ estimation. At the second time point (T2), we additionally measured people’s adherence to Covid-19 guidelines as instructed by the UK government.

The first data collection took place from the 24th of April to the 7th of May. Shown is the log-average of daily new confirmed Covid-19 cases, using the rolling 7-day average in the UK from the 1st of February 2020 to the 1st of September 2020. Lockdown was formally enforced on the 26th of March. The ease of lockdown commenced on the 10th of May when people were encouraged to visit parks again and engage in unlimited outdoor exercise. On the 4th of July pubs and restaurants were among the last businesses to come out of lockdown. The second data collection took place from the 15th of July until the 15th of August, after the lockdown restrictions had been lifted. The pandemic curve has been plotted on the basis of data maintained by Our World in Data⁶³.

Data collection for T1 lasted from the 24th of April 2020 (first pilot) until the 7th of May 2020. This was approximately at the peak of the first pandemic wave in the UK (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). The second data collection (T2) directly followed the largest lift in pandemic-related restrictions in the UK (i.e. reopening of restaurants and pubs), which allowed us to assess the adaptation of mental-health symptoms to a substantial environmental change. The T2 data were collected between the 15th of July 2020 and the 15th of August 2020.