"Top Activity to Increase Post-Endemic: 'Overseas Travel'... Food Delivery and Takeout Expected to Decrease"

Lotte Members Lime Reveals Survey Results on Lifestyle Changes Following Daily Recovery
9 out of 10 Still Wear Masks Outdoors "Surge in Domestic and International Travelers Expected During Summer Vacation Season"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Changes in lifestyle patterns are emerging with the recovery of daily life in the endemic (periodic infectious disease outbreak) era.

Lotte Members' research platform Lime conducted a survey from the 20th to the 27th of last month targeting 800 men and women nationwide aged 20 to 60. As activities expected to increase after the endemic (multiple responses allowed), 31.8% of respondents chose overseas travel, and 31.4% chose domestic travel.

Not only travel, but many respondents also expected increases in movie watching (29.5%), attending performances (19.9%), offline company dinners (19.5%), outdoor exercise (18.5%), small group or club activities (18.3%), and attending festivals or concerts (18.1%).

On the other hand, activities expected to decrease after the endemic included food delivery and takeout (23.8%), non-face-to-face meetings (23.5%), home drinking (17.8%), watching TV and videos (YouTube, OTT, etc.) (16.4%), and home training (13.9%), which had high response rates.

The most anticipated aspect of the lifting of social distancing was also overseas travel (42.8%) and domestic travel (35.5%). Many respondents hoped for the restoration of small daily pleasures that were taken for granted before COVID-19.

These included unrestricted use of multi-use facilities such as restaurants, cafes, and bars (32.3%), eating inside indoor multi-use facilities like movie theaters and sports stadiums (30.6%), attending performances such as plays and musicals (28.3%), private gatherings without limits on the number of people (27.8%), attending festivals and concerts (24.5%), eating on transportation such as trains and airplanes (22.0%), and sampling in large marts and department stores (21.9%).

Meanwhile, despite the lifting of social distancing in April, it was found that the majority of people (88.8%) are still wearing masks outdoors. The top reason for wearing masks outdoors (multiple responses allowed) was anxiety about COVID-19 infection (55.8%). In this survey, 40% of respondents still expressed anxiety about COVID-19 (very anxious or somewhat anxious).

Other reasons included "It's bothersome to take masks on and off since masks must be worn indoors" (43.9%), "Concern about health due to fine dust, etc." (38.2%), "Feeling self-conscious because not many people take off masks on the street" (25.9%), "No need to manage facial expressions" (24.1%), and "Because of the UV protection effect" (14.2%).

When asked when they plan to stop wearing masks, many respondents answered "When I feel safe from COVID-19 regardless of quarantine regulations" (44.2%) and "When the indoor mask mandate is lifted" (27.0%). However, 17.2% said they plan to continue wearing masks even after COVID-19 ends.

Kim Geun-su, head of Lotte Members' Data Business Division, said, "Although some anxiety about infection still remains, as we enter the endemic era, demand for travel, offline shopping, social and cultural sports activities is already emerging." He added, "It is expected that the number of travelers will surge this summer vacation season both domestically and internationally."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.