41 per cent of people in Ireland are feeling lonely in the coronavirus pandemic while 23 per cent screened positive for levels of depression.
The first findings into how Irish people's mental health is being affected by Covid-19 have been released by researchers here and in the UK.
Over 1,000 adults were surveyed in the project, which will continue throughout the pandemic.
Lead author Dr Phillip Hyland, from Maynooth University, says the levels of anxiety are expected and need more monitoring.
"Where we draw the line on how we define loneliness is a bit arbitrary.
"I think what these results reveal is that quite a lot of people in the population are feeling lonely.
"That is a concern, that is something to be worried about, particularly because high levels of loneliness are associated with the greater likelihood of having adverse mental health problems."
