People going out to eat ‘less often than before pandemic’

MOST people in Staffordshire are still going out for meals less often than they were before the pandemic, despite restrictions being lifted.

That’s according to a survey of Staffordshire Live readers to mark the two-year anniversary of the first lockdown, asking how people’s social lives have changed in that time.

The results show that 54% of people are going out for a meal less often than they were before the pandemic, and 47% are going out less often for drinks at a pub or bar.

Most people (60%) said they go out for a meal once a month or less, and a further 15% said they never did, while 33% of people said they never go out for a drink, and 44% do so no more than once a month.

Meanwhile, 31% of people said they now stay closer to home for a night out compared to before the pandemic, although 58% of people are travelling a similar distance. Generally, these changes appear to be because people are still cautious about going to crowded places such as restaurants, bars, and venues, despite the lifting of restrictions.

Some 19% of people said they were not at all comfortable going to these places since restrictions ended, compared to 50% who said they were somewhat comfortable, and 31% who are very comfortable.

Despite this, 44% of people said they are no longer wearing a mask in public places at all, while 38% are still wearing one in some indoor spaces but not others, 17% are wearing one in all indoor spaces, and 2% are wearing one in all indoor and outdoor public spaces.

Many people’s priorities have also changed, with 48% of people saying that going out has become less important to them now than it was before the pandemic, while 21% said it was of similar importance, and 31% said it has become more important.

It’s not just meals, drinks and nights out that have been affected - 40% of people also said they are going to the cinema less (although 57% are going about the same amount).

Gigs and theatre trips saw less of an impact, however, with 63% of people going to gigs the same amount as they did pre-pandemic (with 29% going to a gig less often), 77% of people going to the theatre as often (compared to 21% going less), and 75% are going to attractions such as museums, galleries, theme parks and zoos as often (but 23% are visiting attractions less often than they were before).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the only activities to see a significant proportion of people doing them more often were getting takeaways and socialising outside.

Around 30% of people said they were getting takeaways more often than they did prior to the pandemic, with a significant number of respondents saying they treat themselves at least once a week (47%).

Overall, the changes mean people tend to be spending less on their social lives than they were before the pandemic.

More than half of people (54%) said they are now spending less than they were pre-covid, compared to 35% who are spending the same amount, and 10% who are spending more.

It’s just as well, as many people have seen their incomes reduced over the last two years – 42% of people said their household income is now less than it was before the pandemic.

That compared to 33% of people who said it had stayed the same, and a lucky 25% who said they had seen their household income increase.