COVID-19 has forced most of New Zealanders to stay at home. The shutdown of points of interest, workplaces, schools, and universities has made a colossal difference in our daily lives.

Picodi.com Analysis Team investigated Google search queries and created a ranking of the activities which gained the biggest popularity in the times of pandemic.

Trapped at home

We took a closer look at the most popular hobbies and activities, such as cinema, books, games, and many others. We checked the frequency of search queries connected to these activities in March 2020 and compared them with March of the previous year.

After evaluating statistics, it turned out that all activities that require leaving home have become less popular: cinema dropped by 61 per cent, concerts — 79 per cent, theatre — 78 per cent.

The biggest increase of interest was noted in PC games (400 per cent), board games (355 per cent), and online games (223 per cent). Online courses, such as Udemy increased by 133 per cent. There is a possibility that the uncertain situation in the labour market has made Internet users seek opportunities to gain additional qualifications.

Workout placed fifth with a 72 per cent increase, which means that people probably look for alternatives to gyms and fitness clubs. Various creative activities and crafts, like crocheting (48 per cent) or DIY (24 per cent) have also gained popularity.

Among activities which increased by a relatively slow margin are gardening and foreign languages (4 and 2 per cent respectively).

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