Occasional pub-goers ‘may not return’

Occasional pub-goers may never return after lockdown restrictions are eased, posing a risk to the survival of the country's pub culture, according to research.

Dr Sianne Gordon-wilson, at the University of Portsmouth, found that the majority of people who visited pubs less frequently prior to the pandemic have since found alternative ways of socialising.

However, the study, published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, did find that regulars were likely to return as there was no substitute for the "home from home" atmosphere of their local pub.

As part of her research, Dr Gordon-wilson carried out in-depth interviews with pub-goers.

She found that many who had previously visited the pub two or three nights a week now drank at home every night because of the "boredom, stress and despair" of the lockdowns.