- Shop till you drop: more than 80% of Aussies engaged in retail therapy
- Takeaway and delivery came in hot, with half of Australia eating takeaway food
- Gyms, parks, and public transport all saw predictable drops in desirability
COVID brought with it a gamut of strange and peculiar trends, from property prices doing its best impression of a Six Flags thrill ride, through to driving WFH, and study figures.
With everyone at home working or studying, and perhaps even pulling out a few hairs, what were we all doing?
In its latest survey published today, the ABS said showed how households were affected by COVID-19. Shop till you drop was one trend with more than four out of five Aussies (81%) shopping during February 2020, up to 83% in December.
Takeaways have long had their place in popular culture, but it practically became mandatory with around half of the country seeing meals come on two-wheels, 47% of Aussies ordered takeaways in February, up to 52% in December.
Group activities saw understandable drops, with social gatherings of ten or more people in February 2021 nearly halved at 14%, down from 27% in March 2020.
Gym buffs perhaps shed more tears than sweat, 26% of Aussies exercised at a gym or played sport in February 2021, down from 38% in March 2020.
Household finances seemed to be reasonably stable, with 79% of respondents to the ABS survey saying household finances remained the same, 14% worsened, and 7% improved.
As the year progressed, respondents said emotional and mental wellbeing, along with other health precautions, topped their list of concerns. Public transport also worried respondents.
