A large European survey of more than 10,000 respondents shows that the corona pandemic has made us look at our home and private lives differently. We care about other things and it seems that certain changes are permanent. The report Decentralized living:from lockdown habits to a new way of living, which Samsung commissioned last month, examined how technology and the ability to work anywhere has affected us. It turns out that by the end of 2020 many Europeans will see their family, environment and home differently. Looking to 2021, it seems that many of the habits we have adopted during the lockdown are not only permanent, but also change our future lives.
Nice house more important than ever
The research shows that people feel more connected to their home since the pandemic broke out. 32% of respondents say they care more about how their home looks now than before the pandemic. And even though we spent much more time at home, we were never bored. Because the research shows that we actually felt more connected than ever. For almost a third of respondents (32%) since the outbreak of the pandemic, home has been synonymous with a “safe place”. This trend is even more apparent in countries such as Spain (75%), where lockdown restrictions were longer and stricter.
The shift in meaning we assign to the word “home” also has practical implications. This is how the things that people buy change, and why they do it. More than one in five people (22%) now finds it more important to buy things that make your home more comfortable.
When asked what people would do with their savings, respondents were almost seven times more likely to say that they would rather spend it on smart tech or smart home appliances (21%) than on designer clothing (3%) and designer accessories (2%).
Extensive cooking and home workouts popular
Not only has the way people see their home changed, so has how they spend their time at home. 32% of respondents now do activities at home that they never did before.
For example, many people have developed a passion for cooking during the lockdown, with the result that the kitchen has once again taken a central place in the household. Half of those surveyed (50%) say they would like to improve their kitchen and one in four are likely to buy household appliances in the next 12 months.
If we look at fitness, we see that wearables are becoming increasingly important in monitoring our activities. Nearly one in five (17%) say they are likely to purchase health or fitness equipment in the next 12 months.
Almost a third of Dutch people continued to date virtually
The shift to online is a widely reported trend. If we make a distinction in age, we see that some groups in particular have succeeded in virtually creating the situation as it was before the lockdown. For example, more than 50% of people between the ages of 25 and 34 or with children indicate that technology has made it easier to maintain meaningful contact with friends and family. While nearly one in three (29%) of respondents under the age of 35 was able to continue dating online thanks to technology. And to maintain these virtual contacts, people buy new devices.
What arose out of necessity may well be a lasting addition to the way we deal with our social contacts. Of the respondents who started video calling with friends or family during the pandemic, or who started doing it more often, 18% say they will continue to do so once the lockdown restrictions are over. Also, many people sometimes say they prefer to attend a virtual meeting than a live one, with appointments with friends (50%), birthdays (47%) and social gatherings before work (39%) being the first three.
The survey doesn't say whether it's a direct result of much virtual socialization, or 'virtualization', but nearly two in ten (17%) respondents switched to using a larger screen during the pandemic.
