ALMOST half of Gen Z Brits miss their lockdown lifestyle five years on from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study has found.
The figures come from a survey that aimed to examine how habits have changed since the UK’s first lockdown in 2020. It found that 47% of Gen Z Brits, aged 16-27, missed life during the pandemic and Millennials, aged 28-44, feel similarly at 46%.
However, research showed that the figure dropped drastically amongst Baby Boomers, aged 60-78, to just 19% and the Silent Generation, aged 79 and above, at 8%.
Around 60% of Gen Z respondents said they missed the slower pace of lockdown as it provided them a chance to learn new skills, with 37% of Millennials agreeing.
The study also found that four in 10 (38%) of Gen Z respondents said they missed spending more time at home, with 30% saying they preferred there being less social pressure.
In contrast, around seven in 10 (67%) of people aged 80+ said they did not miss anything about lockdown.
Around a third of respondents from all generations, 31%, said they were more comfortable spending time alone since lockdown, 28% said they take more frequent walks, and just below a quarter (23%) said they shop more locally now since lockdown.
Beth Houston, a 25-year-old singer from Glasgow, learned to play guitar and write her own songs during lockdown, and now has two of her own numbers streaming on Spotify.
Houston (below) said that life during lockdown gave her more time to spend with her family and to explore creative avenues.
She said: “Obviously, lockdown was a hard and horrible time for everybody – people were unwell, some were dying, and it was an awful period for many.
“However, amidst all that, there were positives. I don’t miss the pandemic, but I do miss the way life slowed down, and I had more time to spend with family, to be creative, and to take a pause. I miss the simple things – having long phone or video calls with friends, sitting outside, and not feeling like life was rushing by.
“Everything now feels so fast, and social media makes it worse. In lockdown, we had time to focus on ourselves. I think a lot of Gen Z haven’t really experienced that outside of the pandemic.”
She added: “I miss the simplicity of life during lockdown. I felt more creative and had time to invest in myself.
“I would wake up, go for a walk, and spend time outdoors – ironic given how much of the day we were supposed to spend inside – something I rarely do now because of how busy things have become again.”
The study by Opinion Matters, which surveyed 2000 people across Britain, was commissioned by UK and Ireland coffee roaster Matthew Algie.
It also found that the pandemic has changed Brits’ coffee habits for good.
The Opinion Matters research found that nearly half of Millennials (48%) reported drinking more coffee than before the pandemic, with 45% of Gen Z saying the same.
However, older generations have been less affected, with only 21% of Gen X, aged 44-59, and 14% of Baby Boomers saying their habits have shifted.
