In private transport, the average daily distance covered only decreased by 27 percent, while public transport distances decreased by 52 percent. The distances covered remained practically constant on foot and by bike. This is the result of a special analysis of the data from the microcensus (population survey) Mobility and Transport (MZMV), which the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) jointly prepared.
On average, the people surveyed at the beginning of 2021 covered 21.8 km a day, only taking domestic routes into account. The mean daily distance per person was thus 9.8 km or 31 percent shorter than in the same period last year. The daily distances of 18- to 24-year-olds have been shortened particularly sharply with minus 39 percent. According to the FSO, the reason for this may have been the closed leisure facilities and the compulsory distance learning at universities.
For reasons of data availability, the study period was limited to the eight weeks of the pandemic between January 10 and March 6, 2021, i.e. around the time of the “second lockdown”. The data was compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, when the Covid 19 pandemic had hardly had any impact on mobility in this country.
In the observed pandemic weeks, leisure activities shifted towards non-sporting outdoor activities, namely walks: the distances covered increased by more than half. Overall, however, 34 percent fewer distances were covered for leisure activities. Although the decline was more pronounced than for commuting (minus 27 percent), leisure time remained the most important reason for getting around at 38 percent.
It is noticeable that despite partial store closings and increased online shopping, the shopping distances covered have hardly decreased during the pandemic.
Half of the respondents did at least part of their work from home at the beginning of 2021 – during the partial home office obligation. A year before – i.e. before the pandemic – it was 38 percent according to the FSO.