By HEALTH EDITOR | UPDATED: 08:28, 12 May 2020
Life in lockdown has been a big adjustment for most, but new research reveals that an overwhelming number of us are using time spent at home positively, with over a third (37%) saying they are enjoying a slower pace of life. With 27% of Brits taking up exercise while in lockdown.
The study by leading savings site VoucherCodes.co.uk, investigated how much free time people have gained since the government lockdown measures came into play on 23rd March.
It analysed employees who are now working from home, those who have been furloughed and people who were made redundant in the past month to find out how they are spending their time and their feelings towards this ‘new norm’.
On average, those surveyed have more than 11 hours of additional free time each week with 37% saying they feel positive because they can focus on themselves more. A further 35% say they now have a better work-life balance.
Almost a third (31%) say they can focus more on the people they live with, while a quarter are taking better care of themselves. Additionally, a whopping 87% of respondents have taken up activities they hadn’t previously tried.
Perhaps inspired by the lockdown social media trend of posting photos of homemade banana bread, 22% of Brits have taken up baking while more than one in 10 (12%) are learning a new language or have taken an online course.
Top activities taken up by Brits during lockdown:
Even those who have been furloughed or made redundant are seeing the positives of their free time with 40% and 32% respectively saying they are enjoying the slower pace. A third of those who were made redundant in the past month are using the time to help vulnerable friends or family, with this increasing to 38% of those who have been furloughed.
Interestingly, only 13% of respondents feel anxious and say they don’t know what to do with themselves, with this number increasing to just 19% for those who have been furloughed – the highest of each of the employment groups analysed.
Reflecting on the benefits of lockdown living, over a third of those surveyed (35%) vow to make more time for themselves post-lockdown, and three in ten (30%) want to continue to make time for their newfound hobbies. However, a less hopeful 35% expect life to return to the way it was before the pandemic.
Anita Naik, Lifestyle Editor at VoucherCodes.co.uk, commented: “For most of us, life has dramatically changed over the past few weeks. As we continue to adjust to spending more time at home, we wanted to understand how Brits are coping to this new way of life.
“While understandably this is a very difficult time, it’s so interesting to see how well some people appear to be adjusting and it’s great that there are so many positives being taken from the situation.
“There are lots of new skills being learned and great fun being had at home spending quality time with loved ones. Whether you’re an aspiring Mary Berry in need of some new baking equipment, or are getting back to grips with algebra and need to top up on stationery, it’s worth shopping around online as there are lots of great deals.”