PULLMAN, Wash. – A recent study conducted by Washington State University professors found that over half of participants wouldn’t immediately dine at restaurants or travel/visit hotels in the event COVID-19 restrictions were soon lifted.
WSU collected data from 785 American consumers between May 1-May 7, 2020 for the study.
The study found that over 65 percent of those surveyed would not immediately dine at a restaurant after reopening, while 21 percent would.
Nearly half of those surveyed said they would wait 1-3 months to dine at a restaurant, and 28 percent said they would wait 1-2 weeks.
The consumers showed a preference for casual or family dining establishments in the survey, and many would-be expectant of visual sanitizing methods and social distancing efforts.
When asked about traveling to a destination and staying in a hotel, 56 percent were not willing to do so in mid-June or July, while 26 percent were willing to. Over 60 percent said they would wait 3-6 months longer to travel and stay at a hotel.
Similar to restaurant expectations, survey participants also showed a preference for sanitation procedures taken by hotel staff.
