A new perspective from time use research on the effects of social restrictions on COVID-19 behavioral infection risk.

We present findings from three waves of a population-representative, UK time-use diary survey conducted both pre- and in real time during full 'lockdown', and again following the easing of social restrictions. We used an innovative online diary instrument that has proved both reliable and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jonathan Gershuny, Oriel Sullivan, Almudena Sevilla, Marga Vega-Rapun, Francesca Foliano, Juana Lamote de Grignon, Teresa Harms, Pierre Walthery
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245551
Description
Summary:We present findings from three waves of a population-representative, UK time-use diary survey conducted both pre- and in real time during full 'lockdown', and again following the easing of social restrictions. We used an innovative online diary instrument that has proved both reliable and quick-to-field. Combining diary information on activity, location, and co-presence to estimate infection risks associated with daily behavior, we show clear changes in risk-associated behavior between the pre, full-lockdown and post full-lockdown periods. We document a shift from more to less risky daily behavior patterns (combinations of activity/location/co-presence categories) between the pre-pandemic pattern and full lockdown in May/June 2020, followed by a reversion (although not a complete reversal) of those patterns in August 2020 following the end of the first lockdown. Because, in general, a populations' time use changes relatively slowly, the behavioral changes revealed may be interpreted as a consequence of the UK COVID-19 lockdown social restrictions and their subsequent relaxation.
ISSN:1932-6203