Hairy lockdown sees end

Haircuts, travel and dining out top list

After the lockdown eased, the three most popular activities for Thais were to have their hair cut, travel and eat out, says Ipsos, a global market research firm.

Around 1,000 Thais aged 18-74 participated in Ipsos’s online survey, which was conducted from May 14-18.

The most popular activity after the lockdown was having a haircut, with 21% of respondents making this choice, followed by travelling in provinces or abroad at 19%, and eating out at restaurants at 15%.

The survey found one-fourth of respondents with high income chose travel as their primary activity after the lockdown.

Youngsters preferred returning to study and work, as well as visiting

entertainment venues, while 20% of middle age respondents wanted to travel.

“The survey suggests the travel industry should bounce back after the lockdown due to demand among those with an income of more than 50,000 baht a month,” said Aitsanart Wuthithanakul, a senior client officer at Ipsos.

In terms of gender, having a haircut was the most popular activity among males at 27%, while travelling in provinces or abroad came first for females at 21%, followed by shopping at department stores at 15%.

Some 10% of females said they wanted to return to study or work, versus only 5% of males.

Regarding age, different generations seemed to have different lifestyles.

For those aged 18-24, they appeared to work hard and play hard, with 17% of them saying they wanted to return to work or study after the lockdown.

Only 5% of them said they wanted to go to the cinema and hang out at entertainment venues at night, still higher than other age groups.

For respondents aged 25-44, 20% of them cited travelling as the first priority.

For those older than 45, 6% want to go to religious sites and 9% to go out to exercise — higher than other age groups.

In terms of income, 10% of middle class respondents said they wanted to return to study or work.