The impact of the spread of the new coronavirus infection is causing major changes in consumer awareness and behavior. In Japan, a state of emergency was declared in designated prefectures on April 7th, and was expanded to all prefectures nationwide on the 16th of the same month.
For two months, from April 11th to June 12th, immediately after the state of emergency was declared, Google conducted a survey to analyze consumer awareness and behavior. According to this survey, social changes during the coronavirus pandemic can be divided into four stages: “sudden change period,” “quiet period,” “tension period,” and “restraint period,” and the awareness and behavior of consumers changed depending on the stage. That’s it.
In this article, we will explain the social transformation that has occurred due to the coronavirus pandemic since April, dividing it into stages.
Social transformation due to the coronavirus pandemic 1. Rapid change period (April 11th to April 24th)
The first stage of social transformation during the coronavirus pandemic, the “sudden period of change,” will be the two weeks immediately following the issuance of the state of emergency.
This was the time when anxiety and fear about the unknown virus was at its highest, and people spent less time outside the house from the first to the second week. In addition, demand for masks and disinfectants increased rapidly, resulting in shortages and a situation where they were difficult to obtain in stores. This is a time when people’s stress levels have increased due to unfamiliar lifestyles, such as product prices being higher than usual and concerns about being infected in the store or while walking to and from the store.
However, while consumers had these concerns, they also had a positive attitude towards their lives, such as “I want to be fulfilled” and “I want to be better than before.”
These days, people are using online services to reduce the risk of infection while commuting or at the office by teleworking or working from home, and by making use of VOD (video on demand) and various SNS to enrich the time they spend at home. I am trying to make my free time more efficient. It was also the time when the sense of solidarity and mutual support was at its highest.
Google analyzes that while there was a tense atmosphere during this period of rapid change, a growing sense of solidarity among people was driving rapid behavioral changes. It can also be inferred that the attitude of adopting new online services is related to positive feelings towards life. This is because people who had a positive attitude toward life were more likely to actively adopt online.
Social transformation due to the coronavirus pandemic 2. Quiet period (April 25th to May 8th)
The second phase of social transformation during the coronavirus pandemic, the “quiet period,” will be for two weeks, including Golden Week.
Golden Week 2020 became a “stay-at-home week” where people avoided unnecessary outings. Around this time, new forms of communication such as “online homecoming” and “online drinking parties” were born, and video calls with family and friends in remote locations became commonplace. Google searches for the keyword “online drinking” have already been increasing since around March.
In terms of ways to spend and enjoy leisure time, in addition to the use of VOD, smartphone games, and online shopping, the use of takeout and delivery from restaurants and fast food has increased significantly in a situation where eating out is not possible. Research has also shown that people who enjoy this kind of lifestyle positively are more satisfied with how they enjoy their leisure time.
Google analyzes the quiet period as a time when the use of online services reached its peak as medical, educational, and business activities that had previously been based on physical encounters moved online. As we gradually get used to life under the coronavirus pandemic, people have begun to proactively search for a comfortable daily life, and this can be said to be a period in which we have formed the foundation for the coming “future.”
Social transformation due to the coronavirus pandemic 3. Tension period (May 9th to May 22nd)
The two weeks following the end of Goldin Week will be the third “tension period” of social transformation during the coronavirus pandemic.
At this time, when the state of emergency remains in effect and we are forced to return to social life, concerns about the social impact on the economy and income, and the weakening of connections with people, are more noticeable than concerns about the coronavirus. It’s starting. However, with the resumption of social life, positive feelings about life have increased, and the use of video conferencing and webinars has become more active than before the holidays. Because some jobs cannot be completed online, people are increasingly going out.
Also, around this time, people’s desire to search for information about the coronavirus decreased significantly. This is thought to be due to the fact that consumers have developed an attitude of coping on their own without the provision of information, and that they have become accustomed to and adapted to the lifestyle of the coronavirus pandemic.
Google analyzes the tense period as a time when people had gotten used to life during the coronavirus pandemic, but the continued state of emergency declared it a time when people took a wait-and-see approach to the situation. Because many shops and facilities continued to refrain from operating, there was no major change in people’s outing behavior even after the holidays had ended.
Social transformation due to the coronavirus pandemic 4. Self-restraint period (May 23rd to June 12th)
The fourth stage of social transformation during the coronavirus pandemic, the “self-restraint period”, will last for three weeks, including the lifting of the state of emergency.
The state of emergency declared in designated prefectures on April 7th and all prefectures nationwide on the 16th of the same month was lifted all at once on May 25th. As restaurants and public facilities have resumed operations with infection prevention measures in place, people are going out for both work and leisure purposes. However, even after the declaration was lifted, the spread of the new coronavirus continues, and with no end in sight to the situation, consumers are becoming increasingly anxious and fatigued.
Google describes the “period of self-restraint” that occurred under these circumstances as a time when “returning (wanting to go back)” to the traditional daily life coexisted with “progressing (wanting to move on)” to a new life. This is because while we live in a time of lingering anxiety about the coronavirus, we also need to adapt to the changed environment, even as we hope for a return to the way things were before.
In addition, Google is coexisting with the coronavirus, with each individual taking the lead in a conflict between “those who want to return” and “those who want to move forward,” in other words, “return” and “progress” are competing against each other. This is a process that will shape the way we live our lives in the future.
summary
◆Social changes during the coronavirus pandemic can be divided into four stages: a period of rapid change, a period of calm, a period of tension, and a period of self-restraint, and the consciousness and behavior of consumers are changing depending on the stage.
◆Sudden change period: Two weeks immediately after the declaration of a state of emergency. Amid growing anxiety and fear about the coronavirus, people who have a positive outlook on life during the coronavirus pandemic are adapting to the changes in their environment.
◆Quiet period: 2 weeks including Golden Week. This year has been a long holiday with people forced to stay at home, and online communication has become more active.
◆Tension period: 2 weeks after the end of Goldin Week. Although he is adapting to the changes in his environment, he is worried about his future social life.
◆Restraint period: 3 weeks including the lifting of the state of emergency. The “return” to the traditional daily life and the “progress” to a new lifestyle coexist, shaping “the future of life.”