Community survey reveals huge shift in online shopping habits

Tuesday 11 January 2022

The results of a community survey published by the States reveal more detail about the impact of the covid-19 pandemic - including an increase in online shopping and lower levels of life satisfaction.

The survey ran from 3 September until 14 October 2021. It asked questions on the recent experiences of around 1,500 people, about 3% of the adult population.

On average, the people surveyed said that their satisfaction with life was declining. This finding was based on comparisons with similar surveys run in previous years.

Respondents were asked to indicate where they felt they stood on a ladder used to represent life satisfaction with the bottom rung of the ladder representing the worst possible life and the top rung representing the best possible life.

Pictured: The mean life satisfaction score was 5.7 in 2018, 5.5 in 2020 and 5.3 in 2021.

On average, people's expectations of how satisfied they will be with their lives in five years' time are also declining. The mean scores on this indicator were 6.2 in 2018, 5.8 in 2020 and 5.6 in 2021.

“The findings of the Bailiwick of Guernsey Community Survey 2021 indicate that, while many islanders are resilient, the pandemic has affected some people’s life satisfaction negatively and may have emphasised social and economic inequities,” said the States.

The survey also found that 50% of respondents had levels of anxiety in 2021 which were worse or much worse than in 2019.

Pictured: The report breaks down the responses in a life satisfaction ladder.

Other findings from the survey include:

• 41% of people have made alterations to their homes since 2019; 
• 17% have income which is more than 10% lower than in 2019; and 
• a higher proportion of people expect to spend more money on food, drink and airfares in 2022 than in recent years. 

More than half of respondents (54%) are shopping online more. And nearly two-thirds (60%) have reduced the amount of shopping they do locally.

Nearly half said they agreed with the following statement: “Going into Bailiwick shops increases my risk of contracting covid-19".

Pictured: People's shopping habits were compared to those in 2019 and showed a further significant shift away from shopping locally to shopping online.

The Community Survey is one of a suite of reports released by the States which they say are part of “ongoing work to provide high quality data on a wide range of issues related to Bailiwick life".

The reports are available to assist the States to make decisions about economic, social and environmental policies.

“These reports help give us a clearer picture of what is happening in our community, although to a large extent the problems that the reports highlight are those that we’re aware of and are actively working to address,” said the President of the Policy & Resources Committee, Deputy Peter Ferbrache.

“They are complex, inter-connected problems that need to be addressed together with a mix of solutions to tackle the root causes.”

You can read the full Community Survey ONLINE.