LONDON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Around three in 10 adults felt that life will return to normal in six months or less, an increase from around one in 10 about two months ago, the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Friday.

The highest number of hopefuls was in London where exactly a third of adults in the British capital said they felt their lives would return to normal within six months. The lowest level of hopefuls -- 25 percent of adults -- was recorded in the East of England and the Yorkshire and Humberside regions.

Nationally, signs of hope for the future were highest among adults aged 70 and over, with almost one in three thinking their lives would return to normal in six months or less.

Meanwhile, 32 percent of men and 34 percent of women believe the post-COVID-19 recovery will take longer, believing life will return to normal in seven months to a year.

The ONS said their latest survey revealed 19 percent adults in Britain experienced forms of anxiety and depression in November, doubling the number reported before the pandemic.

Almost half of adults reported that their well-being was affected by the pandemic, increasing to 81 percent among people who had experienced some form of depression and/or some form of anxiety.

Among people who said the coronavirus was affecting their well-being, the most common effects reported were feeling stressed or anxious (62 percent), feeling bored (51 percent) and feeling worried about the future (49 percent).

England is currently under a new three-tier system of coronavirus restrictions. The system, which put about 98 percent of England into the highest Tier Two and Three, is due to be reviewed on Dec. 16.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.