The impact of the UK lockdown on time-use and productivity

The UK nationwide COVID-19 lockdown resulted in drastic changes to work arrangements and many individuals continue to work from home post-lockdown. To examine the effects of the lockdown on time use and productivity, we conduct a nationally representative survey of working-age adults. We find that time use significantly changed during the lockdown, with more time spent on sleeping, mass media consumption, and household-related activities, and less time spent on work-related activities, social activities, and travelling. Using a revealed preference method, we estimate that the proportion of time spent on individuals' most-preferred activities decreases during lockdown. Selfreported productivity also decreases by 2-4 percentage points. Both of these effects are heterogeneous across age, gender, and household composition, with women and those with young children experiencing the largest declines. Taken together, our findings emphasise the need for employer support for workers shifting to regular home-working or other flexible work arrangements