The living room for working in and the terrace for switching off, Spanish people choose their favourite areas for spending the lockdown

• People who are working from home have set up their office in the living room, while young people use their bedrooms to study or play in, according to a survey conducted by Vía Célere to find out Spanish habits during the lockdown

It has now been more than a month since the daily routine in Spain has moved from the street to homes due to the Covid-19 crisis. Weeks during which habits have changed, as well as daily activities or even the way of working. To find out what changes have taken place and how people are living their lives at home, Vía Célere, specialising in the development, investment and management of real estate assets, has conducted a survey to figure out some of these new practices[1].

Firstly, it should be noted that the living room has become the epicentre of family activity, since 65.7% of respondents said that this is the place where they spend the most time. Among the activities for which it is used, 68% have converted it into an improvised gym for leisure time. As for the other rooms in the home, 16.3% spend time in their bedroom, and 12.5% in other areas such as terraces or patios.

But the living room has also become the office for many people who are currently working from home because, of the total number of people who are doing this activity from home (56.8% of respondents), almost half, 46% , have installed the computer in this room, followed by the study (27%) or the bedroom (18.6%).

“Most of our developments have study rooms adapted for this purpose, but, due to the lockdown they have been closed until further notice. However, families have managed to re-use their own homes, demonstrating creativity and a quick adaptation to the circumstances”, explained Cristina Ontoso, Commercial and Marketing Director at Vía Célere.

As for habits, there are also some changes compared to the days when everyone left the house as normal. Thus, while 68.8% of people who are working from home say that they are focused on their work, 50.6% of those surveyed acknowledge that they have a tidier home than usual. Despite this, 32.1% of people who are working say that their working hours have been extended, working more hours than usual.

To switch off and spend leisure time on other activities, among the most common are watching films or series (78.6%), followed by video calls to family and friends (77.8%), using social media and the Internet (72.4%), cooking (60.8%) or enjoying a good book (53.7%). In addition, the traditional clapping is being followed by a large majority, since 65.8% of those surveyed go to  their window or balcony at 8:00 p.m. every day.

In a smaller number are those who use this time to play video games (23.9%), do crafts (23.4%) or study (21.7%).

30.5% of people enjoy this leisure time on the terrace or patio, while 29.5% do it in the living room, followed by 23.5% who use the bedroom to switch off.

With the children at home

Beyond leisure and professional activity, there are many parents who are enjoying spending their day-to-day lives closer to their children, in fact, 32.5% of those surveyed.

Despite these circumstances, 49.4% admit that the little ones in the house are trying to maintain their study habits by doing their homework in their own rooms. Although in relation to the activities they carry out, these are very varied. 26% of parents state that they alternate between homework and leisure activities; 26% mainly spend time watching television or playing; 26% admit that they spend most of the day doing work from school or university; and 22.1% have drawn up a homework timetable to keep them busy for as long as possible.

Regarding family activities, the Spanish people surveyed have acquired different customs, so 73.2% watch films and series, 49.7% also take advantage of the time to cook, and 33.8% choose board games for their free time. Only 14% say that each family member does their own thing and they don’t get together to spend time with each other.

[1] Online survey carried out on a total of 417 people between 30 March and 12 April 2020