More people have become homebodies in the wake of the pandemic Folks are spending nearly an hour less each day doing activities outside the home They’re also spending 12 minutes less each day on transportation or commuting THURSDAY, Oct. 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The pandemic appears to have created a nation of homebodies in the United States, a new study finds. People are spending nearly an hour less each day doing activities outside the home, researchers reported Oct.
31 in the In essence, not going out has become the “new normal” post-COVID, experts say. Since 2019, there’s been an overall drop of about 51 minutes in the daily time spent on out-of-home activities, researchers found. People also spend about 12 minutes less time on daily travel in cars or public transportation.
This decrease in time spent away from home appears to be a lasting consequence of the pandemic, researchers said, and it will affect society on many levels. For example, cities will need to rethink their dependence on folks who commute in for their workdays, noted the researchers, who are urban planners. “In a world where cities cannot rely on captive office workers and must work to attract residents, workers and customers, local officials might seek to invest more heavily in their remaining strengths,” said lead study author , a professor of city and regional planning at Clemson University in South Carolina.
“These include opportunities for recreation, entertainment, culture, arts an.