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-

120% gastronomy
Some lockdown-inspired fads seem to
have become full-fledged hobbies
guages) is currently 17% lower than we
would usually expect for this time of year.
Booze stores may be doing better, since
searches for “hangover” have rebounded to
a normal level for raucous July, after dwin-
dling by 40% in March. But enquiries for
“tickets” are still down by 58%. This news-
paper has called the result of such an un-
60% above the usual level, despite gyms re-
opening. The continued interest in “elec-
tric bicycles” and “standing desks” (espe-
cially in America) shows that workers are
making their transport and home offices
healthier too.
Likewise, arts and crafts adopted in
April have made a lasting mark. Aspiring
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
homes into makeshift offices, gyms and
pubs. For many, crammed commutes and
bustling nightlife became a distant memo-
ry. Now that countries have eased restric-
tions, residents are venturing outside
again—but not as much as before. Globally,
they made perhaps 25% fewer trips per day
in July than they did in early March, accord-
ing to The Economist’s analysis of Google’s
phone-tracking data.
Consumer caution has hit some indus-
tries harder than others. By training a sta-
tistical model on Google’s global search
data since 2016, we find that traffic for “res-
even recovery “the 90% economy”.
Even as people are less comfortable go-
ing out and about, Google’s data show that
they are persisting with home activities
they picked up months ago. Take baking,
for example. “Yeast” quickly became a fad,
with searches rising by 280% in April—and
by 1,300% in peckish Italy. Global interest
has flattened since, but is still 19% above
normal. Other gastronomic words show a
similar pattern. The increase for “takeout”,
however, has been even greater. Kneading
and proofing is not for everybody.
Though people are feasting at home, fit-
ness has also become a priority during
quarantine. Searches for “dumbbell” and
“Strava”, a workout app, remain more than
by numbers” at more than double their
normal rate. “Hair clippers” remain fash-
ionable among amateur barbers, as does
“tie-dye” with people willing to spatter
their clothes (particularly Germans, who
seem to be channelling their inner Jil Sand-
er). As with cooking, however, there are
plenty of slouches who lack inspiration for
such artistry. Netflix can thank them for a
rate of searches that was 23% higher than
usual in late July, long after March’s mania
for “Tiger King” wore off.
The Google trends for many of these
home entertainments suggest that their
new popularity may outlast the pandemic.
If so, the world could end up poorer in
earnings—but richer in experiences. 7