A quarter of people have found it harder to follow rules during the UK’s second lockdown, citing bad weather, feeling worn out and a sense of unfairness, a study has found.

The research found 24 per cent of people are finding the second lockdown harder, while one in six said they felt there is no point in following the rules any longer.

It has also been revealed 14 per cent felt pressured by family or friends to break the rules.

However, 24 per cent said the rules are easier to follow now and 48 per cent said they are coping about the same as in the first lockdwon, according to King’s College London research.

The majority - 82 per cent - said they are being just as careful or more careful now about obeying the rules.

One in six also said they have accidentally broken the rules because they didn’t understand them, rising to 29 per cent for those aged between 16 and 34.

The researchers interviewed 2,244 UK residents aged between 16 and 75 online between November 20 and 24.

Reasons for finding the rules harder include bad weather hindering seeing others outside (44 per cent), feeling fatigued by the crisis (42 per cent), a belief that the restrictions are not being applied fairly (34 per cent) and less trust in Government or official advice (34 per cent).

A quarter (24 per cent) said they think people’s personal freedoms had been restricted too much already, 23 per cent said they felt bored by the coronavirus crisis and 19 per cent said they felt hopeless about it.

More than half (54 per cent) of women who were finding restrictions tougher said it was because they missed meeting friends outside. Men were more likely to say they were bored (27 per cent).

Over the course of the pandemic, almost three-quarters have felt disappointed by people not following recommended measures in public.

Professor Bobby Duffy, director of King’s College London's Policy Institute, said the public has been “remarkably resilient”, with the majority saying they are following restrictions carefully during the second lockdown.

He continued: “But this isn’t everyone’s experience: one in six say they’re not being as careful in obeying the rules, and one in four have found it tougher to follow them this time.

“Social isolation and a feeling of being worn out by the crisis are drivers of this, but so too is the official response to the pandemic.

“A third of those who have found the latest rules more of a struggle say it’s because they feel the restrictions have not been applied fairly, and the same proportion cite reduced trust in official advice as a reason.

“As we come out of this national lockdown and enter a new tiered system, the Government must rebuild confidence in its approach and clearly communicate what it is doing and why.”