Social Distancing to be the new normal?
South Africans give answers in a snap survey that sheds light on nation’s state of being during lockdown.
I have edited this report into bullet form to make it a quick read – Steuart Pennington
Johannesburg: In a snap survey conducted by the Mozambik Restaurant Group to better understand the South African state of being during lockdown, the following was revealed:
Social Distancing should become the new normal in a post-Covid world.
- 54% agree
- 22% don’t agree
- 23% remain undecided,
Suffering from Cabin Fever
- 32% yes
- 31% no
- 36% ‘sometimes’.
Spending time at home (ranking)
- 67% miss going out to restaurants, cinemas, theatre and casinos
- 54% miss spending time with family and friends.
- 21% miss shopping
- 18% miss work.
Keeping busy during Lockdown (ranking)
- 58% doing chores
- 59% working from home
- 33% spending time with their family and children
- 37% of respondents are sleeping, reading and watching TV.
After Lockdown priorities
- 73% going to a restaurant for dinner as the first activity
- 8% going to the movies or gaming
- 11% want to go to the mall.
- 11% of respondents don’t know
Behavioural changes as a result of Lockdown
- 28% staying at home more
- 24% continue working from home
- 13% said ordering-in dinner as opposed to restaurant visits will become their norm.
- 16% will stay with online shopping.
Worries after Lockdown (ranking)
- 63% worried about the economy and their job security
- 51% concerned over whether Covid-19 would have been contained.
- 20% saying they don’t know what is next.
- Many comments included concern for the poor, the homeless and family and friends’ future.
Domestic Tourism
- 36% chose local self-drive holidays
- 19% chose local holidays via air travel as their most likely choice.
- 28% chose regional beach holidays
- 13% said international holidays remain on their radar.
Manny Nichas, CEO of Mozambik, authors of the research “Digital and social media allowed us to interrogate various strata in the population, we wanted to get a feeling of sentiment out there after 2 weeks of lockdown and the announcement of a further period until end-April,” He added that nobody really knows what “next” is, and the snap survey forms part of the group’s larger interrogation of facts, figures and forecasts for a post-lockdown and Covid-19 trading environment. “While it’s a relatively small sample (600), I believe it represents sentiment amid a total lack of any other kind of data.”