Some 80 percent of respondents to a survey in Japan have said that they felt stress due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The results from the survey by a University of Tsukuba research team are believed to reflect fears of respondents and their family members being infected with the virus and impediments to everyday life caused by the trend to stay home amid the pandemic.

The outcomes are part of an interim report for the online survey, which started on Aug. 4. Around 7,000 responses had been collected by Aug. 10.

The survey showed that 38.3 percent and 41.8 percent of respondents felt stress “very much” and “somewhat,” respectively, in the last month due to the coronavirus.

“Only about 50 percent feel stress in normal times, so this is pretty high,” Hirokazu Tachikawa, professor of the university and head of the research team, said.

For a question about what respondents have experienced since infections began spreading in February, with multiple answers allowe

d, the most common response, cited by 2,635 people, was that they themselves faced risks of infection, followed by impediments to work or school activities due to staying at home, chosen by 2,256, and infection risks for family members, selected by 2,184.

Meanwhile, the fourth most common response, cited by 2,078 people, was that they were able to review their lifestyles, a positive spin on the pandemic.

Many respondents said that they coped with staying home amid the outbreak by trying to enjoy what they can do indoors, get sufficient sleep and acquire accurate information about the coronavirus.

The team will continue its research and analyze the connection between the coronavirus pandemic and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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