CONCLUSIONS
The present study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between the presence of others and perceived stress during the COVID‐19 lockdown. Moreover, our results add to the limited literature on people during the pandemic. These insights highlight the need to focus on neglected groups (i.e. women, younger, single people, with children, and with lower education status) both in research and in public health interventions, as they may be especially susceptible to experiencing elevated levels of stress, with their psychological well‐being being compromised.