At present, we have more time than we ever would have anticipated as a result of government guidelines surrounding COVID-19 as many of us practice self-isolation at home alone, or with family or friends. 

As part of our weekly series digging into the impacts, and trends that we’re seeing as a result of COVID-19, we asked 1,000 respondents aged 18+ about their pastimes during these unprecedented times, and if they will keep them up when policies have been lifted. To do so, we asked the following three questions…

• As a result of staying home, have you taken up, or done more than usual of the listed activities?
• Have you subscribed to any additional entertainment streaming services?
• Which of the activities previously mentioned do you plan to continue when government policies around COVID-19 have been lifted?

Below we reveal the top 5 pastimes from our study, but for the entire breakdown showing how males and females compare, as well as our key takeaways, download the full report!

1. Watching films: Coming in at first place with the majority of respondents, we found that 60% of respondents are spending their time watching more films than usual; the highest selected pastime among both males and females at 61% and 59% respectively.

2. Connecting with friends/family: From the results, it showed us that just shy of half of the respondents are using their time to reconnect with others at 49%. Interestingly, we found that it is females who are using their time more so for this, with a 10% difference in males using their time similarly.

3. Reading/listening to books: Thirdly, at 44% we found that respondents are spending their time reading or listening to books/audiobooks.  

4. Physical activity: 43% of Americans have taken up additional exercise regimes as a result of self-isolation, again slightly more common among females specifically.

5. Exploring new apps: Among males and females, this was the closest answer in terms of similarity of responses, with 43% in total exploring new apps to occupy themselves while staying at home.

Want to know how you can make a difference with your time right now? We have put together “5 Good Choices” that you can make that allow you to help out others on a global scale in the fight against this virus. What’s better – these 5 Good Choices require as little effort as switching over your search engine! Read them here.