More than half of adults in Britain see disagreements over coronavirus rules as a threat to the country’s future, new polling suggests.

Some 56% of people polled for Engage Britain expressed concern for the future due to people who disagree with them over restrictions and rules.

Almost a quarter (23%) said they are suspicious of people in their community who take a different approach to rules during the pandemic.

A slightly higher proportion (26%) said they feel their community is pulling together during the crisis, and 21% said they now have better relationships with their neighbours.

Coronavirus – Tue Dec 29, 2020
Many people have fallen out with family, friends and neighbours over their views on lockdown restrictions (Liam McBurney/PA)

Engage Britain polled more than 2,000 adults in Britain on how different views on Covid-19, such as taking the vaccine or lockdown restrictions, are impacting the nation.

Six per cent said their relationships with family and friends had broken down because of their attitude towards lockdown rules.

Five per cent said they had fallen out with family and friends over their views on taking a vaccine, and six per cent said they had argued about how the Government is handling the crisis.

And 59% of respondents said their mental health had been affected due to other people’s compliance with the rules, reporting increased anxiety, trouble sleeping and panic attacks.

Engage Britain is launching the UK’s first national drive putting people in charge of tackling the country’s biggest problems, with the number one concern health and social care.

It will start with one hundred online conversations in communities across the country, followed by a panel who will make decisions about priorities and engage with professionals like doctors, carers and nurses to plan for change.

Engage Britain Director, Julian McCrae, said: “The pandemic is piling a mountain of pressure onto a nation already dealing with huge changes which split families and communities across the country. It’s desperately sad to see this causing anxiety, suspicion and sleepless nights for so many of us.

“This could be a dangerous moment for the country, if we don’t find a way to pull together. With so much at stake and things feeling out of our control, it’s hard to see past the stress of disagreements – but they can actually make us stronger.

“As we recover from this crisis, the public needs to have more of a say in the things that matter to them, using their different views, ideas and experiences to rebuild Britain.”