KUALA LUMPUR: Global market research company Ipsos found that a majority of Malaysians showed a declining trend in listing Covid-19 as one of their three main concerns after a year of battling and eventually co-existing with the virus during the pandemic.
Its senior manager for public affairs Lars Erik Lie said while a majority initially showed high concern towards Covid-19, however, the percentage of concerns has dropped to a level not seen since July-September 2020, and again in March 2021.
"85 per cent out of 500 Malaysians who took part in the study said the coronavirus was one of their three biggest concerns in April 2020.
"However, the concern-trend declined to 57 per cent in July, 61 per cent in August and then again dropped to 58 per cent in September of last year," he said in a statement, today.
Lars said the concerned trend picked up again in October 2020 with 77 per cent of Malaysians showing high concerns of the coronavirus, just as the second wave of infections hit the country.
"The concerned trend again declined in November and December 2020, with 76 and 69 per cent recorded, respectively".
When Covid-19 cases begin to clock in four-digit cases on a daily basis, Malaysians showed 70 per cent of awareness of the coronavirus in January 2021.
"However, only 61 per cent of them showed the same level of concern about Covid-19 in March this year," he said.
Lars said just over a year back, it would have been hard to imagine how much life was about to change across the world.
"Malaysians' concern about Covid-19 has been consistently high throughout the last year, but is now at its lowest level since September 2020, with mental and emotional health improving.
"One year onwards, there is increasing optimism that things are about to change for the better.
"A majority of Malaysians are optimistic that life will start to look more like pre-Covid-19 within the next year," he said.
A year into the pandemic, Lars said, there was improvement of mental wellness among Malaysians.
"A few months into the year, Malaysians are on average feeling better emotionally and mentally than they did when 2021 started.
"This directional change in mental and emotional wellness varies between the main Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries.
"The Global Country Average showed 4 per cent in 21,011 adults across 30 economic markets decline in emotional and mental health changes since 2021 begin.
"However, Malaysia recorded 12 per cent of improvement in this subject, since the beginning of this year, while India recorded 51 per cent increase and Japan's citizens' mental and emotional wellness have gotten worse by 22 per cent," he said.
Lars said two out of three Malaysians think that life will start to resemble the normal pre-Covid-19 lifestyle within the next year.
"Our study found that the citizens are optimistic that their new normal lifestyle will soon give way to the old normal again.
"This sense of optimism varies greatly in APAC, with India and China (mainland) reacting most optimistic, Malaysia at average and Japan citizens were least optimistic.
"59 per cent of the Global Country Average citizens felt that it will take one year or less before they can return to their normal pre-Covid-19 lifestyle.
"Malaysia recorded 68 per cent of optimism, India with 79 per cent, China with 77 per cent and Japan with only 20 per cent of optimism that they will take a year or less to get back to their pre-Covid-19 lifestyle," he said.