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Most communities in Florida will enter the "Full Phase One" stage of re-opening this week, but are residents ready for the next step? We're taking a non-traditional look at the data today, turning to researchers from the Center for Analytics and Creativity at the USF Muma College of Business to help us answer that question.
Using real-time data from Google, they've explored key search terms that give us a window into public sentiment surrounding common re-opening activities, as well as public health and economic concerns.
Here's what we found.
- Searches for “Clearwater Beach” declined sharply in the month of March, but interest has increased significantly over the past two weeks, as public beaches re-opened.
- Tampa Bay residents are actively searching for “directions to…” and “restaurants open near me,” indicating an increased interest in dining out and leaving the confines of home.
- While searches for “nail salons” are up statewide, Tampa Bay residents appear to be showing more caution when it comes to resuming personal care activities.
- Searches for “toilet paper near me” and “coronavirus testing near me” both peaked in mid-March and are now showing a steady pattern of decline.
- Searches for “unemployment benefits” and “food banks near me” are still active, but at a lower frequency than they were in April.
Keep reading to learn more.
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Google searches for “Clearwater Beach” declined sharply in the month of March, but interest has significantly increased over the past two weeks and is now just 20% below the same time last year.
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However, the interest in “Miami Beach” has remained low and is not yet showing signs of increase, likely due to the higher case levels and delayed re-opening of Miami-Dade County.
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Recent search trends suggest residents are ready to return to restaurants, with a clear spike in interest for “restaurants open near me.”
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Among regions in Florida, the Panhandle is showing somewhat more interest relative to the others, but all regions are experiencing an uptick, with the Tampa Bay metro area ranked fifth in the state.
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The search index for the term “directions to…” declined in the month of March but can be seen picking up in recent weeks, suggesting people are ready to leave the confines of their homes and immediate neighborhoods.
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Statewide, Ft. Myers and the Panhandle top the list for search activity, with Tampa Bay ranked third.
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After an extended period of closure due to the statewide stay-at-home order and social distancing measures, searches for “nail salons” are now spiking.
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The Panhandle is once again leading the state in searches, but Tampa Bay’s absence from the Top 5 list may indicate a higher level of caution among local residents when it comes to resuming pre-pandemic personal care activities.
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Public Health and Economic Concerns
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Searches for “toilet paper near me” have declined significantly since mid-March, suggesting the panic buying that marked the early days of the pandemic has subsided.
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Searches for "coronavirus testing near me” followed a similar pattern of decline.
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After an initial shock in early April, searches for “unemployment benefits” are holding steady at a much lower rate.
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And while there is still interest in “food banks near me,” search activity does not appear to be as high as it was in April.
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Google Search Trend Data was provided by researchers at the Center for Analytics and Creativity at the USF Muma College of Business, as part of the E-Insights project.
The charts in this report show how each search trended in Florida during a defined period of time.
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The normalized scores here are based on Google Search Trend’s highest search volumes as a percentage of overall searches. A “100” for a market implies that as a percentage of overall search volume, this query was highest in this area compared to similar percentages in other areas of the state.
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COVID-19 Tampa Bay by the Numbers
Wednesday, May 27 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
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Join us for a virtual community forum, as we update and discuss the data that defines the re-opening and recovery of our regional economy.
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“COVID-19: Tampa Bay by the Numbers” is a State of the Region event, produced by the Tampa Bay Partnership in collaboration with Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, United Way Suncoast and the USF Muma College of Business.
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