2023年经济学人 世界经济进入隐居消费时代(2)（在线收听）

    Firms are noticing the $600bn shift.

    各家公司注意到这6000亿美元正在逐渐溜走。

    In a recent earnings call an executive at Darden Restaurants, which runs one of America’s finest restaurant chains, Olive Garden, noted that, relative to pre-covid times, “we’re probably in that 80% range in terms of traffic”.

    在最近的一次财报电话会议上，经营着美国最好的连锁餐厅之一“橄榄花园”的达顿餐饮公司的一名高管指出，相对于疫情前，“我们的客流量可能在80%左右”。

    At Home Depot, which sells tools to improve homes, revenue is up by about 15% on 2019 in real terms.

    而家居建材工具销售商家得宝的收入比2019年实际增长了约15%。

    Goldman Sachs, a bank, tracks the share prices of companies that benefit when people stay at home (such as e-commerce firms) and those that thrive when people are out (such as airlines).

    高盛银行追踪了那些因人们居家而受益的公司（如电商公司）和那些因人们外出而繁荣的公司（如航空公司）的股价。

    Even today, the market looks favourably upon firms that serve stay-at-homers.

    直到现在，市场也看好那些为居家者提供服务的公司。

    Why has hermit behaviour endured?

    为什么隐居行为持续存在？

    The first possible reason is that some tremulous folk remain afraid of infection, whether by covid or something else.

    第一个可能的原因是，一些胆小的人仍然害怕感染病毒，不管是新冠肺炎还是其他疾病。

    In Britain, car use is in line with the pre-covid norm, whereas public-transport use is well down.

    在英国，汽车使用率与疫情前的正常水平一致，而公共交通使用率则大幅下降。

    People also seem less keen on up-close-and-personal services.

    人们似乎也不太热衷于近距离的私人服务。

    In America spending on hairdressing and personal grooming is 20% below its pre-covid trend, while spending on cosmetics, perfumes and nail preparations is up by a quarter.

    在美国，美发和个人美容的支出比疫情前的趋势降低了20%，而化妆品、香水和指甲护理的支出则增加了四分之一。

    The second reason relates to work patterns.

    第二个原因与工作模式有关。

    Across the rich world people now work about one day a week at home, according to Cevat Giray Aksoy of King’s College London and colleagues.

    根据伦敦国王学院的杰瓦特·吉拉伊·阿克索伊及其同事们的研究，在富裕国家，人们现在每周大约有一天在家工作。

    This cuts demand for services bought at the office, including lunches, and raises demand for do-it-yourself goods.

    对于上班时会购买的服务（包括午餐），这方面的需求就减少了，而对DIY产品的需求就增加了。

    Last year Italians spent 34% more on glassware, tableware and household utensils than in 2019.

    去年，意大利人在玻璃器皿、餐具和家庭用具上的支出比2019年增加了34%。

    The third relates to values.

    第三是价值观。

    Covid may have made people genuinely more hermit-like.

    新冠病毒可能真的让人们变得更像隐士。

    According to official data from America, last year people slept 11 minutes more a day than in 2019.

    根据美国的官方数据，去年人们每天的睡眠时间比2019年多11分钟。

    They also spent less on clubs that require membership and other social activities, and more on solitary pursuits, such as gardening and pets.

    他们在需要会员资格的俱乐部和其他社交活动上的花费也更少，而在单人活动上花费更多，比如园艺和宠物。

    Meanwhile, global online searches for “Patience”, a card game otherwise known as Solitaire, are running at about twice their pre-pandemic level.

    与此同时，对Patience纸牌游戏（也叫Solitaire）的全球搜索量约为疫情前的两倍。

    Covid’s biggest legacy, it seems, has been to pull people apart.

    新冠留下的最大遗产似乎就是将人们彼此分开。