Home Debate Club: Is the coronavirus and the pandemic being focused on too much?

 
We all know how serious the pandemic is but they always focus on the number of deaths or infections, rather than something positive
— - Student from Valence Primary School

The results from last week’s Home Debate Club were pretty clear… it seems that young people across the UK are tired of all the focus being on the pandemic.

Nearly 10,000 people participated in Home Debate Club and while the national result was a clear one - we were curious if there was a big difference across the different regions of the UK.

National result:

Nationally it was clear that that young people feel like the pandemic and coronavirus are being focused on too much - with a whopping 61% saying so!

But regionally - the debate results take a different shape.

Regional results:

Yes is in green while No is in grey.

Yes is in green while No is in grey.

Regionally the results were a bit closer in places like London and the South West, but in the North East nearly all the groups chose Yes! Whereas, in Yorkshire and the Humber and the Southwest more than half of the groups voted for No.

Scotland and Wales both only had one group participate each - so it’s difficult to draw any conclusions there.

Did the results in your region surprise you? Tweet @HomeDebateClub and let us know why!

There was plenty of great reasoning to go around in this debate. We’ve pulled our two favourite reasons for each side to share!

Yes ✅

I think yes because there are more things we should be focusing on like Poverty and Climate Change. Plus, this can put a lot of pressure on NHS staff and the public. And we need to think about this generation and how it’s affecting people’s lives.
— - Student from Isleworth Town Primary School
It’s all everyone talks about on TV. But you only hear about the negative sides, such as deaths and confirmed cases. We are never told how many people have walked away from the virus ok or who have survived. Also, people have formed stronger bonds in their communities and found really resourceful ways of helping each other but you really don’t hear much about this. It’s all very negative, but positive things have come from the pandemic and it would be better for people’s mental health to hear this.
— Student from Winsor Primary School

No ❌

Whilst there are so many important things to think about, right now, we have to be reminded that this is a pandemic and people may become complacent if there are no constant reminders about it.
— Student from Nanpean Community Primary School
I think that it is the biggest and main issue in the world at the current moment so we should tackle it by thinking about it and being mindful of it so that we can see its dangers. Also we should take things [one] step at a time and face the most important problem first and after it is defeated then we can think about other things and not worry about covid at the same time. It is a definite no from me!
— Student from Hampton Hill Junior School

Don’t forget to get in on our next debate!

Home Debate Club will continue to be holding nationwide debates throughout lockdown and beyond! Get in on our latest debate here 👇

Got a suggestion for a Home Debate Club Question? Send it to membership@smartschoolcouncils.org.uk

 
 
 
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Home Debate Club: Should the school day be longer to make up for lost learning?

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Home Debate Club: Should everyone be forced to have a coronavirus vaccine?