What Are We Doing in Lockdown?
For many of us, the last few weeks will have been the strangest of our lives.
From living life with the complete freedom to see, go and do as we wish, to a situation where almost all of us are working, living and enjoying life exclusively inside our own homes. Our worlds have been turned upside down and our normal routines with it.
Which got us thinking… what is the new normal for Brits locked up safely at home? With the pubs, restaurants and shops closed, what are we doing with all of this newfound time?
To find out, we turned to Google Trends. Using search data, Google Trends can tell us which queries (the words you Google when Googling!) have increased and decreased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
From a 31% increase in searches for “how to fix a boiler” to a 5000% increase in searches for “how to make sex more interesting”, Brits are up to some interesting activities during the lockdown.
So, what are you doing?
General
While we may be socially distancing, the data shows that Brits are working hard to stay socially active during the lockdown.
From a 2250% increase in searches for “how to use Netflix party” to an 850% increase in searches for “how to use houseparty”, these apps allow users to enjoy the company of their friends and family from the safety of their own home.
Other general queries with a huge increase in searches include “how to make hand sanitiser” with a 5000% increase, “how to make a ventilator” with a 2750% increase and even “how to use a bidet” with a 600% increase.
DIY
Locked up at home, hours of free time, the pubs closed - what do the British do? DIY, of course.
From fixing up an old coffee table (300% increase) to finally sorting that downstairs toilet (90% increases), the data shows that the nation is working hard to improve their homes.
Other popular DIY searches include “how to make a floating shelf” with a 170% increase, “how to repair siding” with a 650% increase and “how to repair plumbing” with a 250% increase.
If you need help fixing up an old shower or central heating pump, why not check out our expert guides here:
How to fix a shower pump a
How to fix a central heating pump
Garden
Is there anything more British than a finely pruned garden paired with a shorn green lawn? No, we didn’t think so. Which is why it is no surprise to see millions of Brits sprucing up their gardens during the lockdown.
From pruning tomato plants (5000% increase) to finally clearing the weeds with a garden incinerator (5000% increase), the data shows that Brits have become a nation of green fingers over the last two weeks.
Other popular garden searches include “how to make a bird box” with a 190% increase, “how to plant freesia bulbs” with a 170% increase and “how to make garden planters” with a 90% increase.
Pets
Locked up at home? Bored? Looking for a way to bring joy into your new homebound life? Then maybe it’s time you considered getting a puppy. Or - at least that’s what Brits seem to be thinking, as we are seeing huge increases in pet-related search terms.
From “how long does it take to house train a puppy” with a 200% increase to “how to stop a puppy biting you” with a 120% increase, the nation seems to be turning to pets for support throughout the lockdown.
Kittens have also been popular with a 100% increase in searches like “how to train a kitten” and a 62% increase in “how to introduce a kitten to a cat”.
Arts & Crafts
Did you know that Sir Issac Newton discovered gravity during a period of isolation? Or that Shakespeare finally found the time to write King Lear during the Plague of 1606? So, what are Brits doing during the 2020 pandemic? Staying home, staying safe and drawing pictures of baby Yoda. Or, at least that’s what the data is telling us.
From making cushion covers (5000% increase) to figuring out how to use watercolours (110% increase), Brits have gone craft mad over the last few weeks.
Other popular arts and crafts related searches include “how to draw Billie Eilish” with a 150% increase, “how to draw Thanos” with a 300% increase and “how to make felt flowers” with a 110% increase.
Beauty
If the beauty research has taught us one thing, it’s that the hairdressers, nail salons and aesthetic clinics MUST reopen before the pubs. Mainly because, quite worryingly, it would appear that a large percentage of Brits are trying to curl their hair with socks (650% increase).
Other popular beauty searches include “how to tint eyelashes” with a 140% increase, “how to pierce your own ears” with a 90% increase and, unsurprisingly, “how to treat an infected ear piercing” with a 130% increase.
Personal Interest
The pubs are closed, the restaurants are shut, even our beloved Primark has closed their doors - so what are Brits doing for their daily dose of serotonin? Sex, of course.
Unsurprisingly, with more time spent with their loved ones, Brits are turning to Google to improve their sex life. Queries like “how to spice things up in the bedroom” and “how to make sex more interesting” are seeing a 3250% increase in searches.
The data also reveals that the lockdown has even had people considering whether to start a family, with searches like “how old is too old to have kids” seeing a 2800% increase. Expect “quaranteenies” in 9 months.
Other popular personal interest queries include “how often should you have sex to get pregnant” with a 200% increase, “how to be good at sex” also with a 200% increase and “how to use viagra” with a 100% increase.
Kids
As families across the country embrace lockdown, parents were left with a conundrum. How do we keep kids, from toddlers to teens, engaged, happy and, most importantly, well educated? Well, if this was you on March 20th when the schools finally closed, like millions of other parents, you likely turned to Google for answers. So, what did you search?
Well, firstly, for PE, millions of parents turned to Joe Wicks, The Body Coach, with a 5000% increase in searches for his child-friendly workouts. For art classes, many of you have turned to drawing tigers, which also saw a 5000% increase. And for science? Well, we’ve seen a 110% increase in searches for “how to make a rocket for kids”.
Other popular child-related searches include “how to make a lava lamp” with a 120% increase, “how to make slime” with a 110% increase and even “how to get a six-pack for kids” with an 80% increase in searches.
Food & Drink
If we all have a united friend during this pandemic, it has to be the fridge. It’s there for us morning, noon and night, and thanks to our dedicated supermarket workers, it’s full of our favourite food and drink. So what is the nation making for dinner?
Well, if you’ve got Instagram, you will no doubt have seen a considerable rise in people showing off their homemade banana bread. This is supported with our data, as the search term “how to make banana bread” has seen a 5000% increase in searches.
Other popular searches include “how to make bread without yeast” with a 250% increase, “how to make kombucha” with a 160% increase and “how to make oat milk” with a 120% increase in searches.
Cleaning & Organising
Now that spring is here, it will be no surprise that we will see an increase in more of us cleaning our homes anyway. This is particularly relevant at the moment, as we are all spending more time indoors and so it’s essential to step up our hygiene habits; especially if someone in your household is self-isolating. Which is why it is no surprise that we are seeing huge increases in household cleaning related searches.
From conducting our research on how to really deep clean a house (700% increase) to even ensuring our AirPods are thoroughly cleaned (250% increase), the nation has gone mad for spring cleaning.
Other popular searches include “how to wash feather pillows” with a 250% increase, “how to clean a washing machine” with a 100% increase and, possibly related to more of us homeschooling, “how to clean a whiteboard” seeing an 80% increase in searches.
Methodology
The following study was conducted using open data from Google Trends. For each term, the average trend data was taken and compared against the peak average during the current lockdown.
For example, we researched the term “how to make a scrunchie”. This is what Google Trends revealed:
We then took the average trend data for the previous 12 months and compared the increase or decrease against the peak average during the current lockdown.
With a little maths wizardry, we were easily able to calculate the percentage increase or decrease from the previous twelve-month average.
To see the raw dataset, please follow this link.
