COVID-19 pandemic brought with itself a myriad of consequences that affected the functioning of the social system, putting enormous stress on the economic and healthcare systems, but also on people’s everyday lives. Many studies have been conducted related to the clinical consequences of the pandemic, but few have focused on the social perspective and people’s perception. The aim of this study is to examine changes in the perception of negative and positive aspects of the pandemic within a year on a Croatian sample with an emphasis on the perception of pandemic management. The data used in the study was collected as part of the pan-European ADJUST project using an online questionnaire on a sample of 386 participants. Two open ended questions related to the most negative and the most positive aspects of the pandemic were analysed. The obtained results show that the perception of negative aspects is more pronounced than the perception of positive aspects. Perceived difficulties with work and finances are more pronounced at the beginning of the pandemic than a year later. Perceived opportunities for enjoyable activities are also more pronounced at the beginning of the pandemic, while the perception of reflection and growth is more pronounced one year after the start of the pandemic. The perception that there are no positive aspects of the pandemic is also more pronounced one year after the start of the pandemic. The perception of incompetent pandemic management is more pronounced than the perception of competent pandemic management and becomes more pronounced over time.