Revealed – the results of our Big Conversation survey about pandemic life in Derbyshire

Everything has changed beyond recognition since March when coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

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The Derbyshire Times launched its Big Conversation online survey in September to find out how readers’ lives have changed recently.

We would like to thank everyone who took part in the survey and we can now reveal your answers – they are available in full at https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-YGHS7QZH7

Here we’ll take a look at some of the results.

Getting out and about

City and town centres have suffered as a result of the pandemic, with a sustained drop in footfall even after March lockdown restrictions were lifted.

This is reflected in answers from respondents, with the majority saying they have visited their town or city centre ‘a lot less’ (34.16%) or ‘less’ (27.33%) than they did prior to lockdown.

Just 1.86% said they are visiting ‘a lot more’ and 1.24% ‘more’.

Most people – 39.68% – said they feel ‘comfortable’ visiting family.

In terms of confidence in venturing out of the house, ‘visiting beaches, parks and green spaces’ is an activity that 52.38% of respondents said they feel ‘comfortable’ doing.

Confidence in taking public transport is low, with 50.31% per cent of respondents saying they feel ‘not at all comfortable’ with it.

Respondents were unsure how confident they felt sending their children back to school, with the majority – 47.20% – saying they didn’t know.

Personal life

78.26% of respondents voted ‘visiting family’ as the most important activity for a good quality of life, either pre- or post-pandemic.

Eating at cafes or restaurants came second, with 59.63% of respondents saying this was important to their personal quality of life.

Over half – 54.66% – of respondents said going on a holiday or short break in the UK was important to their quality of life.

Over half of respondents have become more thrifty since the pandemic began, with 53.64% per cent saying they’ve cut back on spending.

And while the high street may have suffered from a drop in footfall, many local firms have done well as a result of the crisis, with 52.32% per cent of respondents saying they are supporting local businesses more than they once were.

Health

Half of respondents – 50.93% – have not needed an appointment with a hospital or specialist since the pandemic began.

Of the 47.20% who did make an appointment, 23.68% said they found it ‘very difficult’ while 21.05% said they found it ‘very easy’.

Employment

At the time of the survey, 52.17% of respondents said they are currently in paid work followed by 35.40% per cent who aren’t. Just 3.19 per cent of respondents were on furlough.

Moving online

Most respondents – 45.34% – believe they’ve adapted to the move of many activities online ‘very well’.

Fears, concerns and hopes

The impact of a second wave of coronavirus was a worry for well over half of respondents, with 59.63% saying they were ‘very concerned’ about this.

Local life

Refuse collection and recycling services were rated as the highest quality service during the pandemic, with 46.58% per cent rating them ‘very good’.

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Editor’s message

Thank you to all who support local journalism with a print subscription. The events of 2020 mean trusted, local journalism is more reliant than ever on your support. We couldn't do it without you. Please subscribe at www.localsubsplus.co.uk so we can keep campaigning on your behalf. Stay safe.