During the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, "maintaining social distancing" has become one of the high-frequency words for epidemic prevention, and epidemic prevention signs such as "maintaining social distance of more than 1 meter with others" and "reducing crowd gathering" can be seen everywhere in daily life. Has the public's awareness of social distancing increased? How does social distancing behavior perform? From September 30 to October 15, 2021, the Nandu Poll Center launched a questionnaire survey, collected a total of 1,026 valid questionnaires, conducted in-depth analysis and research on the public's social distancing awareness, behavior performance, influencing factors, and demand and expectations for comfortable social distancing, and recently released the "Public Social Distancing Survey Report (2021)".
According to the report, nearly 70% of the respondents often pay attention to social distancing with others, and the post-80s and post-90s who live in the north, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have a stronger awareness of the relevant situations; the respondents pay the most attention to social distancing when taking public transportation, accounting for more than 60%, but public transportation space is also the most difficult occasion for respondents to maintain comfortable social distancing; compared with before the epidemic, nearly 80% of respondents said that their attention to social distancing has increased, and nearly 70% of respondents have observed an increase in public social distancing behavior. Female respondents were more likely to improve their awareness and behavior; 50% of respondents most wanted to improve social distancing comfort while waiting in line; and respondents wanted families and schools to guide their children to learn to maintain comfortable social distancing in different situations.
Social distancing awareness:
More than 60% of respondents pay attention to social distancing when using public transport
In daily life, do people pay attention to their social distancing with others? According to the survey results, more than 90% of the respondents said they would pay attention, of which nearly 70% of the respondents "often pay attention" and 25% of the respondents who "sometimes pay attention".
The survey found that there were differences in social distancing awareness among respondents of different ages and places of residence. From the perspective of different age groups, the post-80s and post-90s respondents have a stronger awareness, and the proportion of "frequent attention" accounts for 82.44% and 69.59% respectively, while the post-50s and post-60s only account for 45%. From the perspective of different places of residence, respondents living in the north, Shanghai, Guangzhou, shenzhen, other provincial capitals or municipalities directly under the central government have a significantly higher awareness of social distancing than those living in county-level cities and rural areas, and the proportion of both said that they "pay attention to it frequently" is more than 70%.
Where are people usually paying attention to social distancing with others? The survey results show that respondents are more likely to pay attention to social distancing when taking public transportation (67.71%), taking elevators (54.37%), and waiting in line (53.09%).
In the offline interception of visits, Ms. Chen after 00 said that she would always pay attention to maintaining social distancing with others, "For example, taking the subway, usually I will find a corner or a side station." Ms. Chen also said that when queuing up and eating, she will try to keep a distance of at least half a meter from others.
It's not just Ms. Chen who has this awareness. In the survey, female respondents were more aware of social distancing when waiting in line (60.00%), eating (46.30%), seeking medical treatment (40.43%), and getting along with the opposite sex (20.00%), while male respondents were more aware of social distancing when riding in taxis, online ride-hailing cars or other people's private cars (52.77%).
Again, the age group of the interaction found that the respondents after the 80s and 90s had a stronger awareness when taking public transportation and waiting in line, accounting for more than 70% and 50% respectively, while the post-60s and post-70s respondents paid more attention to the medical treatment, with a proportion of more than 40%. It is worth noting that the elderly groups such as the post-50s and post-60s have a weak sense of social distancing when waiting in line and shopping, and the proportion of both is less than 40% and 15%.
Nearly 80% of respondents have increased their social distancing awareness than before the pandemic, and female respondents have changed even more
Under the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, everyone can often hear and see various epidemic prevention reminders, but has the public's awareness of social distancing changed? According to survey data, nearly 80% of respondents said that their awareness of social distancing has increased compared to before the epidemic. Interaction analysis found that female respondents felt that the proportion of female respondents who believed that their social distancing awareness was greater, as high as 79.57%.
Where are you paying more attention to social distancing? The survey found that respondents pay more attention to social distancing with others when taking public transportation, accounting for 68.79%. Interaction analysis found that respondents with lower monthly incomes were more socially distancing when using public transport. Among them, the proportion of respondents with a monthly income of less than 3,000 yuan is as high as 76.19%, 73.03% of the respondents with a monthly income of 3001-5000 yuan, and 62.34% of the respondents with a monthly income of 10001-15000 yuan.
This may be related to the way respondents traveled. The Nandu Poll Center has released the "Guangzhou Young Office Workers Commuting Survey Report (2021)", which shows that 75% of the respondents spend less than 400 yuan per month on subways and buses, while the commuting cost of self-driving is about 2,000 yuan (including fuel, parking, etc.). Low-income people are more dependent on public transportation, so they may be more aware of social distancing when riding.
It is worth noting that another 20% of respondents reported that their social distancing awareness has decreased or remained basically unchanged compared to before the epidemic. Further asked about the situation, taking the elevator (34.67%), waiting in line (31.56%), and dining (31.56%) were the occasions where the respondents had a weak sense of social distancing.
Social Distancing Behavior:
Less than 60% of respondents are able to maintain comfortable social distancing on a regular basis, and high earners are more likely to maintain social distancing
It seems that the public's awareness of social distancing has increased significantly since the epidemic, but can everyone maintain comfortable social distancing in real life? According to the survey results, less than 60% of respondents said they "often maintained" comfortable social distancing, and 30% of respondents "sometimes maintained". The interaction analysis found that the higher the monthly income of the respondents, the higher the frequency of maintaining comfortable social distancing, and the proportion of respondents with a monthly income of 15,001-20,000 yuan "can often maintain" reached more than 60%, while the respondents with a monthly income of 3,001-5,000 yuan accounted for only half.
Comparing the awareness and behavior of social distancing, it was found that some respondents had a state of "consciousness and behavior" inconsistency: 69.98% of the respondents would "often pay attention" to social distancing, but only 58.87% of the respondents "often maintained" a comfortable social distance. This means that more than 10 percent of respondents consciously maintain social distancing from others, but are more difficult to achieve in practice.
In which situations do respondents struggle with social distancing? The comparison found that the proportion of respondents who were able to maintain comfortable social distancing was lower than the proportion of people who paid attention to social distancing. Among them, in the use of public transportation, elevators, dining, waiting in line, the difference between the two is more obvious, 17.81%, 8.62%, 8.40% and 8.03% of the respondents will pay attention to social distancing on these occasions, but it is more difficult to maintain comfortable social distancing.
After the 80s, Ah Yi said that when taking public transportation and elevators, even if she consciously maintains social distancing from others, it is actually difficult to maintain. "Especially when commuting to work, there is basically no distance to speak of, and it is not bad to have a position to stand firmly." Summer is even more uncomfortable, itself is already crowded enough, and the clothes and arms of others are still sweaty. Ah Yi complained that because she was relatively short, when everyone was too close to the subway, her shoulder often became the "mobile phone shelf" for others.
In the survey, many respondents said that they felt empathy with Ah Yi, 62.09% of the respondents reported that they felt uncomfortable when they encountered others' bodies too close to themselves; secondly, encountering sudden physical contact with others (57.50%), being watched or peeping (53.90%) also made the respondents feel that they lacked a sense of social distance. Interactive gender found that female respondents were more likely to feel discomfort when encountering the above situations, especially when others were too close to each other's bodies, accounting for 66.67%. From the perspective of different places of residence, respondents living in the north, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are more likely to feel a lack of social distance due to sudden physical contact and physical proximity of others, accounting for more than 70%.
Ms. Chen, who lives in Guangzhou, said that in the past, she liked to wear Lolita clothes and short skirts to go out, and others would always cast curious eyes, "Some people will look at me from beginning to end, making me seem strange." The look of being watched made her feel very uncomfortable, so she rarely dressed like this now.
Nearly 70% of respondents said that social distancing behaviors have increased compared to before the epidemic, mainly in reducing crowds and avoiding crowds
Will the public's social distancing behaviour change as a result of the pandemic? According to the survey results, 68.71% of the respondents observed that the public's social distancing behavior has increased compared with before the epidemic, mainly in public places to reduce congestion (63.97%) and avoid going to crowded places (60.57%). The interaction analysis found that respondents living in the north, Shanghai, Guangzhou, shenzhen, and other provincial capitals or municipalities directly under the central government said that the performance of reducing congestion in public places and avoiding crowded places was more prominent, with a proportion of more than 65%.
However, more than 25% of the respondents believe that the public's social distancing behavior has decreased or remained basically unchanged compared with before the epidemic, mainly in the presence of tight queues (55.21%) and near seats (46.53%). Convergence with the above-mentioned respondents who reported weak social distancing awareness.
Ms. Wu after the 90s observed that on some occasions, the distance between public queues is very close. "For example, when I was at the subway security check, I often encountered people behind me crossing my 'flying bag' into the security belt, and some people were very close to each other when queuing, and I could almost feel the breathing of the people behind me."
Mr. Huang also encountered a similar situation after the 80s. When he was queuing up to buy food at noon, he often encountered people behind him clinging to him, "Maybe he was worried that the food was gone or he was afraid of being cut in line, anyway, he was close to my back when I took a step." In desperation, he could only verbally remind the people behind him to keep some distance. He also said that after everyone bought a meal and sat down to eat, there were many people but few positions, either they sat less than half a meter apart from the stranger next to them, or they were less than 1 meter apart face to face. In order not to be embarrassed, everyone is used to holding the mobile phone while watching and eating.
In general, the public's awareness and behavior of maintaining social distancing have increased compared with before the epidemic, of which female respondents are more obvious; most of the public can respond to the government's call for epidemic prevention and avoid going to crowded and crowded public places; but in some public places, the public's awareness and behavior of maintaining social distancing are still relatively lacking, such as tight queues, dining seats and other phenomena need to be improved.
Influencing factors:
Gender, education, age, and family upbringing influence social distancing awareness and behavior
What factors influence public awareness and behavior of social distancing? In the interaction analysis, factors such as gender, age, monthly income, and current residence all have a certain impact on this. And what do the respondents themselves think about this issue? The poll results showed that gender (47.47%), education level (45.52%), age (43.57%), and family upbringing (40.45%) were the main factors that respondents believed to affect social distancing awareness and behavior; followed by social situations (32.46%), income (32.07%) and social objects (26.32%). The results of the above interactive analysis are basically consistent.
Fifty percent of respondents are most likely to improve social distancing comfort when queuing, with a comfortable distance of at least 0.45-1.2 meters in public
Where do you want to improve social distancing comfort? The survey found that waiting in line (51.17%), taking the elevator (50.19%), and taking public transportation (47.27%) were the main occasions when respondents wanted to improve social distancing comfort. The interaction analysis found that female respondents preferred to improve social distancing comfort when waiting in line, accounting for 53.12%, while male respondents wanted to improve social distancing comfort when taking taxis, ride-hailing cars or other people's private cars, accounting for 47.59%.
So what is the social distancing that people think is comfortable in different situations? The American anthropologist Edward Hall divided four boundaries or distances to measure kinship: intimate distance (0-0.45 meters), which is an intimate and friendly relationship, easy to have physical contact; personal distance (0.45-1.20 meters), usually the distance maintained with acquaintances who get along well; social distance (1.20-3.60 meters), reflecting a more formal relationship in social or etiquette; and public distance (more than 3.60 meters), mostly the space needs of public places.
"When waiting in line" is the most desirable occasion for respondents to increase social distancing, they believe that the comfortable distance should be maintained at least 0.45-1.20 meters, while in dining, medical treatment, shopping and other occasions, the respondents believe that the comfortable distance increased to 1.20-3.60 meters.
In the offline interception visit, some respondents said that the comfortable distance when seeking medical treatment belonged to the public distance range (more than 3.60 meters). After 50 years, Aunt Feng said that because she suffered from high blood pressure, she needed to go to the hospital regularly to prescribe medicine, "Since the outbreak of the epidemic, I have paid special attention to keeping a distance from others, and the farther away the better." If someone breaks into the office while I'm seeing a doctor, I'll ask them to wait. After 85, Ah Bin also said that every time he accompanied his family to the hospital, he would find a corner with few people to stand and wait, keeping a distance of at least seven or eight meters from others.
Faced with familiar social objects, female respondents were more receptive to intimate distance
When faced with different social objects, what is the social distancing that people think is comfortable? The survey results show that the comfortable social distance with family, close friends or partners is 0.45-1.20 meters, the comfortable distance with ordinary friends or colleagues increases to 1.20-3.60 meters, and the comfortable distance with strangers is more than 3.60 meters.
Interestingly, female respondents were more receptive to intimate social distancing when confronted with familiar family, friends, or partners, with more than 25% choosing intimate social distancing (0.15-0.45 m), while male respondents chose personal social distancing (0.45–1.20 m) at more than 20 per cent.
Public Expectations:
Sixty percent of respondents want parents to lead by example in teaching their children
What ways do you want to improve social distancing awareness and behaviour to achieve comfortable social distancing in different situations? According to the survey results, 60% of respondents hope that parents can lead by example in teaching their children, followed by 50% of respondents who want to play reminder voices and post publicity signs in public places to remind the public to maintain social distancing.
Interactive analysis found that the higher the academic qualifications, the more they want to teach their children through home, school, etc., and learn to maintain comfortable social distancing in different occasions, of which more than 50% of respondents with bachelor's degrees and more than 65% of respondents with master's degrees or above.
During the offline interception visit, many respondents jointly reflected that it is very necessary to improve everyone's awareness of social distancing under the normalization of epidemic prevention and control. Interviewee Ah Yi said, "I most hope that the school can teach, so that children know how to properly maintain social distancing in different situations." Mr. Huang said that in addition to school education, family education is equally important, "Usually I will tell my son that maintaining a certain social distance in public is a kind of respect for others." ”
Judging from the survey results, most of the respondents have a certain sense of social distancing, but in real life, the practice of maintaining comfortable social distancing is more difficult to achieve in some occasions, especially in crowded and space-limited places such as public transportation and elevators. At the same time, the difference between social distance awareness and social distancing behavior is affected by factors such as gender, age, education level, and family education; in addition, different social occasions and social objects also affect the public's corresponding social distance comfort.
Improving social distancing comfort is not something that happens overnight, but rather a process of mutual learning, mutual respect, and step-by-step. In this regard, the public most hopes that the family and school can play a role in guiding children to learn what social distancing is from an early age and what kind of social distancing needs to be maintained on which occasions. In addition, the social level can strengthen management and supervision, so that everyone can learn and respect the social distancing of different occasions, and jointly create and maintain a civilized, harmonious and friendly social atmosphere.
Survey Overview:
From September 30 to October 15, 2021, the Nandu PollIng Center conducted this survey, and through a combination of offline visits and online questionnaires, a total of 1,026 valid questionnaires were recovered, of which 54.68% were male respondents and 45.32% were female respondents. Respondents now live in the north, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, accounting for 26.71%, followed by ordinary prefecture-level cities and other provincial capitals or municipalities directly under the central government, accounting for 25.05% and 22.61% respectively. From the perspective of age groups, the post-80s and post-90s are the main ones, accounting for 33.72% and 27.19% respectively, and the post-00s and post-70s account for 16.37% and 14.04% respectively. From the perspective of monthly income, the proportion of 5001-8000 yuan is the largest, accounting for 31.09%, followed by 8001-10000 yuan, accounting for 22.61%. From the perspective of academic qualifications, most of them are bachelor's degrees, accounting for 43.86%, followed by college degrees, accounting for 29.53%.
Research topics in social surveys and public opinion
Social Group and Public Psychology Studies
Project Producer: Nandu Poll Center
Project Producer: Xie Bin Zhang Chun
Project Host: Wen Yiran
Project Execution: Nandu Researcher Mai Jieying Wen Yiran Xie Xiaoqing
Intern Wen Yiting Weng Wanting Chen Ziying Du Meiyu Xiang Zixin
Support platform: Southern Metropolis Daily official WeChat public account WeChat public account