Scientists say Covid pandemic has led to one big change in how we live our lives
People are spending nearly an hour less a day doing activities outside the home as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers claim.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Planning Association reveals an overall drop since 2019 of about 51 minutes in the daily time spent on out-of-home activities, plus an almost 12-minute reduction in time spent on daily travel such as driving or taking public transportation.
The analysis, based on a survey of 34,000 Americans, is the first to include a look at out-of-home versus in-home time post-pandemic. The authors from Clemson University and UCLA have documented a trend toward less and less out-of-home time stretching back to at least 2003, but Covid and its aftermath have dramatically increased this shift into the home.
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This shift towards “going nowhere fast” promises to affect people and society on many levels, from psychology to sociology to economics. The authors of this paper, who are urban planners, argue that less leaving home calls for a rethink of many planning and transport policies.
Their recommendations include repurposing office and retail real estate given the increase in working and shopping from home. Restrictions on converting commercial buildings to housing should also be relaxed, and curb space for delivery vehicles increased given the rise in online shopping.
“In a world where cities cannot rely on captive office workers and must work to attract residents, workers, and customers, local officials might seek to invest more heavily in their remaining strengths,” says lead author Eric A. Morris, Professor of City and Regional Planning at