How did people change their behavior over the different phases of the UK COVID-19 restrictions, and how did these changes affect their risk of being exposed to infection? Time-use diary surveys are unique in providing a complete chronicle of daily behavior: 24-h continuous records of the populations’ activities, their social context, and their location. We present results from four such surveys, collected in real time from representative UK samples, both before and at three points over the course of the current pandemic. Comparing across the four waves, we find evidence of substantial changes in the UK population’s behavior relating to activities, locations, and social context. We assign different levels of risk to combinations of activities, locations, and copresence to compare risk-related behavior across successive “lockdowns.” We find evidence that during the second lockdown (November 2020), there was an increase in high-risk behaviors relative to the first (starting March 2020). This increase is shown to be associated with more paid work time in the workplace. At a time when capacity is still limited both in respect of immunization and track–trace technology, governments must continue to rely on changes in people’s daily behaviors to contain the spread of COVID-19 and similar viruses. Time-use diary information of this type, collected in real time across the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, can provide policy makers with information to assess and quantify changes in daily behaviors and the impact they are likely to have on overall behavioral-associated risks.

We present analyses of 24-hour time use diary records of the UK population’s activities, their social context and their location, collected in real time from four successive waves of representative UK samples, both before, and during, the current COVID-19 pandemic. We show changes in behavioral response to social restrictions at three time-points during the pandemic, including across two nationwide lockdowns. Comparing samples across the four waves, we find evidence of substantial changes in the population’s activities, locations and social interactions, which may be interpreted as direct responses to changes in regulations. One of our main motivations was to compare risk-related behavior across the first and second lockdowns. We find suggestive evidence that the second lockdown (recorded late November 2020) was less strictly adhered to than the first (recorded May- June 2020). Holding constant gender, age and social grade, the population spent on average 32 more minutes per day in high risk activities in late November 2020 than in first lockdown. Disaggregating by gender and age group, the difference was found to be statistically significant for all groups, with the exception of those aged 55 and over.Significance statementWhat do people do during lockdown? This set of data is unique in providing time use diary information in real time on changing behavior in the UK in response to each major change in social restrictions. This enables us to directly compare 24-hour continuous and comprehensive information on the populations’ activities, their social context and their location, comparing risk- related behavior during different phases of social restrictions. Holding constant gender, age and social grade, we show that the UK population spent on average 32 more minutes per day in high risk activities in the second UK lockdown in November 2020 than in first lockdown (starting March 2020). This difference was statistically significant.

Using a unique representative online time use diary survey, we examine the UK population's behaviour both before, and at five key phases during, the COVID-19 pandemic. A main focus of our analysis is which of the significant changes in activities associated with the pandemic survived the government-defined end of most restrictions on `freedom day' (July 19th 2021). Our data (N7,000 diary days) includes a baseline pre-pandemic survey, conducted in 2016, followed by five subsequent waves coinciding with key moments of pandemic restrictions, including all three lockdowns and two periods of relaxation of restrictions between lockdowns and after the final lockdown. In multivariate regression analyses, we find that changes in behaviour that characterised lockdown periods but did not persist following the end of restrictions were: watching more TV; spending more time doing other home-based leisure activities; doing less paid work, and reducing leisure time spent out of the home, including socializing with friends. However, other important and policy-relevant changes in time use during the pandemic appeared to `stick', i.e. persisted even after the lifting of almost all restrictions. These were: an increase in exercising; a shift to more active ways of travelling; the increased contribution of fathers to childcare; more shopping online, more time spent sleeping, and more time spent doing paid work from home (teleworking). We assess the subjective enjoyment associated with these `sticky' activities as a possible explanation for their persistence, and discuss their policy implications.