Garden Centres are still the stores people say they feel most comfortable returning to, according to results of a YouGov poll.
In April, economic researchers from the University of Warwick made a case for ending lockdown for young adults, who are less at risk of developing serious cases of COVID-19 and could breathe life back into the economy – however YouGov research shows that in many of the scenarios asked about, the difference in comfort between age brackets is low, and in some cases older Brits are more willing to return than their younger peers.
The biggest difference between age groups (not including the workplace) is for restaurants, where 48% of Brits aged 18 to 24 feel comfortable visiting, compared to 38% of those aged over 65 - a 14 percentage point difference.
In the case of of garden centres and pub gardens, the larger, open-air nature of these places may explain why older Brits are more comfortable returning to these places than younger generations. These places are also where most Brits think they will be able to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
The majority of Brits think they can keep to rules when visiting garden centres (71%) and pub gardens (60%) however these are the only places where the majority think they can do so. Despite retail workers’ best efforts to prepare stores with plastic shielding, one-way systems and two-metre floor markers, just 48% of Brits think they will be able to keep two metres away from other shoppers in clothes shops.
YouGov go on to say: "What this data suggests is that how comfortable people feel returning to these locations is related to how well they think they will be able to socially distance from others while they are there. For example, Brits are twice as likely to feel comfortable returning to pub gardens (53%) than indoor pubs (26%), and are also twice as likely to think they could socially distance in a pub garden (60%) than inside a pub or bar (29%).
"Interestingly, the perceived ability to socially distance does not follow the same age-related pattern as we saw in comfortability to visit places – for example 37% of over 65s think they could socially distance at the hairdressers, compared to 29% of 18- to 24-year-old Britons. However, this younger age bracket are then more likely to think they can socially distance in coffee shops (51%) compared to the over 65s (39%)."
Following on from this, what other precautions are Britons willing to take to return to the high street? We asked whether Britons would be willing to wear a face mask if required (something Britons have been historically opposed to doing voluntarily), and if they would be willing to have their temperature taken before visiting places.
Interestingly, Britons are most willing to take these extra precautions in the places where they say they are least confident at maintaining the two metre social distancing rule. Approaching three quarters (72%) of Brits say they would be willing to both wear and mask and have a temperature check before shopping in clothes shops, and similar numbers say the same (68% and 72%) for barbers and hairdressers.
YouGov recently reported that a mere 21% of Brits were donning face masks when they left the house, which makes it unsurprising that in some scenarios (pub gardens, restaurants, and pubs and bars) Brits are more willing to have a temperature check than wear a mask. The biggest disparity is in the restaurant scenario, where Brits are almost twice as likely to be willing to submit to a temperature check (73%) than wear a non-medical facemask (38%).
Click on the image below for a link to the complete YouGov research data.