SINGAPORE — The early days of the pandemic had seen an uptick in video streaming subscriptions, home exercise programs – anything to keep extended time at home as bearable as possible. With pandemic restrictions in Singapore eased, the country is seeing more leave their homes after work hours and the weekends. Milieu Insight released results of their “Spending Shifts In Entertainment/Leisure” study, which found changing spending patterns on leisure activities after major easing of Covid-19 restrictions in Singapore, amidst rising costs. The study was conducted in April 2022 with N=1000 respondents in Singapore.
Overall spending has increased in past 6 months, few have reduced entertainment/leisure spending
– 73% of respondents indicated that their overall spending has increased in the past 6 months
– 42% say that spending on entertainment/leisure has increased, while 24% has reduced spending on this area in the past 6 months
– In the next 6 months, 46% indicated that spending on entertainment/leisure is expected to increased, while only 12% anticipate it to decrease
Shift away from pandemic activities
– Out of the list of common pandemic leisure activities listed in the survey, online shopping was the most common activity people spent on during the pandemic (76%), trailing further are video streaming services (41%) and social activities (37%)
– From this list, intention to reduce spending in the next 6 months is greatest in staycations (55%), online shopping (46%), and online gaming (45%)
– With restrictions eased, some people are getting out of their homes more – travel, shopping in physical stores, etc.
Tightened belts, but entertainment/leisure remain key part of life
– Majority (76%) of those who reduced or intend to reduce spending on pandemic leisure activities did so in order to cut spending, versus only 19% who said that they didn’t need these products/services anymore
– The pandemic has changed people’s lives in many ways, including the ways they spend their leisure time
– 51% said that they had discovered new entertainment/leisure activities during the pandemic, and 57% concurred that these activities had helped them to cope with negative emotions like boredom and stress.
Methodology
Based on a Milieu Insight survey with N=1000 respondents in Singapore, conducted in April 2022.
