June 9th, 2023, Janice Fernandes
One of the shifts influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic was the adoption of remote alternatives to traditional activities. In a recent YouGov survey, focused on 18 international markets, we asked consumers which remote activities they continue doing even after all pandemic related restrictions have been lifted.
Streaming services experienced a huge surge in demand during the pandemic. And 39% continue to watch online entertainment, the highest share of respondents who continue this remote activity started during the pandemic. Shopping is another activity that registers more than a third of respondents (37%) who continue using e-commerce sites.
Other categories include online learning (26%), doctor consultation (18%), virtual fitness classes (17%), virtual events (11%), and online dating (7%).
It must be noted that the actual share of consumers participating in these remote activities might be much higher as many may have started them before the pandemic.
Data indicates that on a global level women are slightly more likely than men to continue remote activities such as fitness (18% vs. 16%), doctor consultation (18% vs. 17%), online entertainment (40% vs. 38%). The biggest difference can be noted in shopping habits. While around two in five women say they continue shopping for groceries and clothes online (40%), the figure drops to a third of men (33%) who engage in this activity.
Men are likelier than women to say they continue with online learning (26% vs. 25%), virtual events (12% vs. 9%) and dating (8% vs. 6%).
Consumers of different age groups have embraced various remote activities. In the 18-24 age group, online learning (39%) and online entertainment (50%) are highly favored. Global respondents aged between 25 to 34 years show a preference for online shopping (37%) and online entertainment (45%), similarly with middle-aged consumers (35-44 years) who use streaming services (44%) and shop online (39%).
Older consumers – 45-54-year-olds – are as likely to say they continue using streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime as they are to shop online (39% each). Those over 55 years don’t seem to care as much for online entertainment (28%) but around a third continue buying their groceries and other items like clothing online (34%).
Explore our living data – for free
To receive monthly insights about the health and pharma industry register here.
To read YouGov’s latest intelligence on the health and pharma sector explore here.
Make smarter business decisions with better intelligence. Understand exactly what your audience is thinking by leveraging our panel of 20 million+ members. Speak with us today.
Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 512 and 2007 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in March 2023. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
Getty Images