From hectic and busy outdoors to hectic and busy indoors? Mobility and activity related insights of families with kids during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led Malta to declare a partial lockdown on the 12th March 2020. In this paper we aim to reveal the emotions and the differences in the daily travel and activity patterns that were experienced by parents and their children during this time. We use data collected from an online questionnaire. Cluster Analysis was performed on the sample to determine population profiling. Following this, we thematically analysed the narratives related to the revealed travel activity patterns of the group of participants with children in their household. The findings showed that mothers and parents between the ages of 30-49 carried the most responsibility because activities shifted in-house; this group was labelled as “down to earth”. A content analysis revealed that parents suffered from anxiety due to restricted access and fear of contagion. Parents who did not suffer from anxiety were enjoying their family and home during the partial lockdown. The discussion includes recommendations to improve mobility and activities in extreme situations like a pandemic, among families with children and concludes with suggestions for future work.