Contact patterns changed in response to national COVID-19 guidance

Press release issued: 9 February 2021

The number of daily contacts changed over the course of 2020, following the first lockdown, corresponding to alterations in the COVID-19 guidance, suggests a study among staff and students at the University of Bristol. The research led by scientists at the University of Bristol is published on the pre-print server medRxiv.org.

CONQUEST (COroNavirus QUESTionnaire) is an online survey of contacts, behaviour, and potential SARS-Cov-2 symptoms for University of Bristol staff and students. The questionnaire was set-up to measure changing behaviour and contact patterns during this unprecedented time, in order to predict how COVID-19 will spread in universities settings.

The CONQUEST survey continues to capture responses and behaviours and further research will be done to look at variation in behaviours over time and factors to explain this.

You can find out more about this story on the University of Bristol news pages

The study, funded by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and supported by the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, is one of a number being conducted by UNCOVER Bristol's COVID Emergency Research Group. Other questionnaires are focusing on under-represented groups, including children and older adults.