It is no secret that Google wants to know where you go at all times and that it records your movements via your smartphone.

Now Google is using this data to give the world a clearer glimpse of exactly how people everywhere are behaving and how they changed their habits during the pandemic.

Reduced retail & recreation mobility

For example, Americans have gradually cut back on retail & recreation mobility – going to places like restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, theme parks, museums, libraries, and movie theaters is reduced by -47% in the USA.

Most people still need to go shopping for groceries and drugs and Google reveals that Americans have reduced going to grocery markets, food warehouses, drug stores and pharmacies only for -22% in comparison to pre-epidemic time.

Statistics for parks visitation in South Dakota and Nebraska

Media already reported that crowds are flocking to outdoor parks and trails for fresh air, the rare activity people are still permitted to enjoy amid the coronavirus.

Thanks to Google data we now know that South Dakota has the greatest surge in parks visitation, +126% which is understandable knowing that, while many places are closed due to COVID-19, South Dakota’s State Parks remain open and free of charge.

Nebraska is on the second place – it recorded a surge of +109% in going to parks.

While in states like South Dakota and Nebraska parks have became new go-to places, overall park visitation in USA is reduced.

According to Google, mobility trends for places like national parks, public beaches, marinas, dog parks, plazas, and public gardens in the USA is reduced by -19 %.

Avoiding public transport hubs

Across the United States many are avoiding public transport hubs such as subway, bus, and train stations.

Mobility trends for transit stations Is -51% lower when compared with the pre-epidemic times.

People most scared they could get infected on subway, bus, and train stations are residents of Hawaii (-72%), Massachusetts (-73%), New Jersey (-70%) and Vermont (-71%).

Mobility trends for going to places of work is reduced by 38% in USA, while staying indoors increased by only +12% across the country,

„We calculate these insights based on data from users who have opted-in to Location History for their Google Account, so the data represents a sample of our users. As with all samples, this may or may not represent the exact behavior of a wider population. These reports were developed to be helpful while adhering to our stringent privacy protocols and protecting people’s privacy. No personally identifiable information, like an individual’s location, contacts or movement, is made available at any point“, said Google in their Community Mobility Reports.