Working from Home, Active Travel, Health and Wellbeing: Consequences of a Pandemic

Abstract

While many studies have explored the impact of COVID-19 and/or working from home (WfH) on the transport network and modal choice, relatively few have looked at the implications of WfH through the lens of physical activity and the role of active transport moving forward. Drawing from a survey of 1,165 Sydney (Australia) workers conducted in late 2020, when restrictions from the first COVID-19 wave were easing across Australia, we explore the impact of the pandemic on perceived changes in working from home (WfH), active travel, physical health, and wellbeing. We identify three distinct segments of the population with differing active travel, physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QoL) outcomes: (1) 'Active but Anxious' (22%) - younger, higher income, largest increase in WfH, sitting relatively more, largest relative decrease in active commuting, increased relative PA and largest proportion who are physically active; (2) 'Less Change, Less Worries' (38%) - older and male, least change in WfH, least relative change in active commuting, sitting relatively less, largely sufficient PA, highest QoL; (3) 'Stressed and Sedentary' (40%) - average age, lower income, largest loss of paid work, highest levels of sitting, lowest PA and QoL. Given WfH will likely be a more prevalent component of the travel activity matrix, we consider the implications of these heterogenous outcomes for individuals, employers and policy-makers charged with shaping active travel policy and planning in a post-pandemic world.