A Coresight Research survey of U.S. consumers found that for the week of February 22, the avoidance rate of any type of public area stood at 79 percent, down almost eight percentage points from the peak during prior week.
The proportion of consumers avoiding shopping malls/centers dropped to the lowest level recorded in the Coresight survey, at 49 percent—almost 10 percentage points lower than the 59 percent seen the prior week. In a separate survey question, Coresight also saw the proportion of consumers that had visited an enclosed shopping center increase to a high for the week of February 22.

The avoidance rate of shops in general decreased by seven percentage points to 37 percent, the lowest since November 2020—another positive indicator for US retail. Avoidance of food locations saw the largest week-over-week decline, of 11 percentage points. Half of consumers are currently avoiding restaurants, bars and coffee shops—the lowest proportion Coresight has seen in its survey since October 2020.

Respondents also appeared to be less concerned about returning to recreational events this week. The proportion of consumers avoiding sporting events decreased by nine percentage points week over week, and those avoiding entertainment and leisure venues fell again this week by eight percentage points.
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