Graphic detail Life in the time of corona The Economist August 8th 2020 77

→ For many home activities, Google search traffic remains higher than usual

Global change in mobility and Google searches, compared with normal level*
Weekly average January 5th–July 27th 2020, highest week in 2020=100

Out on the town

Normal level
Change in mobility† “Ticket” “Hangover” “Restaurant” 100
-3% -17%
50
-58%
Actual search
interest 0
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul

Gastronomy
“Yeast” “Recipe” “Blender” “Takeout” 100
↓ Searches for
“yeast” are still
19% above normal +32%
+22% 50
+85%
+19%
0
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul

Healthy living
“Dumbbell” “Strava” (workout app) “Standing desk” “Electric bicycle” 100
+129%
+103% +42%

+64% 50

0
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul

Home entertainment
“Painting by numbers” “Hair clippers” “Tie-dye” “Netflix” 100
+235%

+23% 50
+112% +58%

0
Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul
*Predicted using weekly data from January 3rd 2016-March 7th 2020
†Average for retail, grocery, transport and workplaces Sources: Google; The Economist

90% economy, taurant” (or similar words in other lan-

guages) is currently 17% lower than we
60% above the usual level, despite gyms re-
opening. The continued interest in “elec-
120% gastronomy would usually expect for this time of year.
Booze stores may be doing better, since
tric bicycles” and “standing desks” (espe-
cially in America) shows that workers are
searches for “hangover” have rebounded to making their transport and home offices
a normal level for raucous July, after dwin- healthier too.
dling by 40% in March. But enquiries for Likewise, arts and crafts adopted in
Some lockdown-inspired fads seem to
“tickets” are still down by 58%. This news- April have made a lasting mark. Aspiring
have become full-fledged hobbies
paper has called the result of such an un- Picassos have kept searches for “painting

C ovid-19 has altered life as we know it.

When governments imposed lock-
downs in March, people transformed their
even recovery “the 90% economy”.
Even as people are less comfortable go-
ing out and about, Google’s data show that
by numbers” at more than double their
normal rate. “Hair clippers” remain fash-
ionable among amateur barbers, as does
homes into makeshift offices, gyms and they are persisting with home activities “tie-dye” with people willing to spatter
pubs. For many, crammed commutes and they picked up months ago. Take baking, their clothes (particularly Germans, who
bustling nightlife became a distant memo- for example. “Yeast” quickly became a fad, seem to be channelling their inner Jil Sand-
ry. Now that countries have eased restric- with searches rising by 280% in April—and er). As with cooking, however, there are
tions, residents are venturing outside by 1,300% in peckish Italy. Global interest plenty of slouches who lack inspiration for
again—but not as much as before. Globally, has flattened since, but is still 19% above such artistry. Netflix can thank them for a
they made perhaps 25% fewer trips per day normal. Other gastronomic words show a rate of searches that was 23% higher than
in July than they did in early March, accord- similar pattern. The increase for “takeout”, usual in late July, long after March’s mania
ing to The Economist’s analysis of Google’s however, has been even greater. Kneading for “Tiger King” wore off.
phone-tracking data. and proofing is not for everybody. The Google trends for many of these
Consumer caution has hit some indus- Though people are feasting at home, fit- home entertainments suggest that their
tries harder than others. By training a sta- ness has also become a priority during new popularity may outlast the pandemic.
tistical model on Google’s global search quarantine. Searches for “dumbbell” and If so, the world could end up poorer in
data since 2016, we find that traffic for “res- “Strava”, a workout app, remain more than earnings—but richer in experiences. 7