Lockdown music listening: A mixed methods, multinational study exploring social uses of music listening and anxiety during social distancing in the first wave of COVID-19

Objective: The social distancing and isolation measures used to minimise the spread of COVID-19 have negatively impacted anxiety levels. It has been demonstrated that music listening can help reduce anxiety and the current pandemic has called for an examination of the extent to which music listening may be important when social interaction is limited. Method: An online mixed methods survey involving both Likert scale and open-ended questions was conducted to understand the associations between anxiety, music use and social uses of music listening during the pandemic. A total of 196 participants from 24 countries completed the survey between July and August 2020. Results: Anxiety appeared significantly heightened in those who rated music as more important to them during the pandemic compared to before. Qualitative content analysis confirmed the ubiquitous nature of music in everyday life. Affect regulation was a prominent function of music listening in the data, which is in line with previous research. The majority of shared music listening experiences evoked positivity, connectedness and provided a sense of normality for listeners. Conclusions: The accessibility and feasibility of music listening interventions during social isolation aligns with research priorities for interventions to target the psychological distress caused by the pandemic