22% of adults feel more comfortable talking about grief due to Covid-19

Some 22% of adults in the UK now feel more comfortable talking about grief due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research from Co-op Funeralcare.

The funeralcare provider’s survey into the country’s changing attitudes towards grief and bereavement found more than an estimated 24m adults now feel more compassionate towards others who are coping with the loss of a loved one.

Furthemore, 54% of respondents polled said the pandemic has resulted in them thinking about their own mortality more.

Sam Tyrer, the managing director of Co-op Funeralcare, said: “Communities have experienced loss on a previously unimaginable scale, so it is crucial for us to ensure adequate support is available as society begins to enter a new normality.

“The research findings and our experience supporting thousands of bereaved families over the past fourteen months truly bring to light the scale of the nation’s mourning, the wider impact this has had, and the way in which the pandemic has started to change how we talk about grief and mortality.”

He added: “We are committed to ensuring the bereaved are fully supported and have access to the services they need in the weeks, months, and even years ahead.”