Most of the general public has adapted their behaviours in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, the preliminary findings of a new survey have shown.

The population-wide survey of over 100,000 people has revealed that over 85% have adapted their behaviours at home, while 75% have adapted their behaviours in public.

However interestingly, just 37% felt that other people around them in public have also altered their behaviours.

The survey also noted that most people found the Government's recommendations about how to curb the spread of COVID-19 very clear. Some 92% said they understood the measures around social distancing, while 79% understood the measures around shopping.

The figures were similarly high when it came to both social isolation and leisure activities during the pandemic.

The most popular activities undertaken by people in the last week were playing board games, working out at home and going for a walk.

The results are from the Corona Citizens' Science Project, a national anonymous online survey, which aims to understand how people are dealing with the pandemic. The survey was conducted over a 24-hour period on April 8 and will be repeated again on April 22.

It was conducted by research teams at Dublin City University (DCU), NUI Galway and the Insight SFI Centre for Data Analytics (NUI Galway).

"The response to our survey has surpassed our expectations and shows the desire of the Irish people for their voice to be heard. The results are a barometer of how the pandemic impacts daily life. The next survey on April 22 will show us how these trends progress and we are appealing to the public to take part and provide feedback on how they are coping," commented the survey's joint research lead, Dr Akke Vellinga, an epidemiologist and senior lecturer at NUI Galway.

According to joint research lead and professor of health systems at DCU, Prof Anthony Staines, this is a baseline study on how we are coping with the restrictive measures put in place by the Government to try and flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.

"As these restrictions have now been extended to May 5, we plan to repeat the survey every two weeks to continually check the pulse of the nation and our ability to deal with the current situation," he noted.

Meanwhile, the survey also revealed that 6,000 respondents had experienced flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days. Among these, 52% thought they had COVID-19 symptoms and 53% had contacted their GP. Of these, 36% were referred for testing. Among those who had received their results already, 10% were positive and 18% were negative.

When it came to schooling, the survey also found that over 20% of people are currently homeschooling primary school-aged children, and around 3% of these do not have the necessary resources to do this, such as access to a computer.

In the case of secondary school children, around two-thirds of schools are setting regular homework and providing additional online support.

Over 9,000 respondents also reported having children in pre-school who are now at home with them.

For more information on the Corona Citizens' Science Project, click here.