Conclusions
The present research investigated behavioral changes brought by the
COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese people using a free-response survey, in
which participants described their frequently performed behaviors. The
results revealed that the pandemic altered various daily behaviors, but
people’s demography, which in part determines their lifestyles,
moderated the impact. It also highlighted some behaviors that are not
yet scrutinized by past research (e.g., housework and leisure
activities) and suggested that changes in those activities could
negatively influence people’s mental health. The current results
demonstrated that detailed examinations of the behavior change by
different demographics effectively reveal how the pandemic impacts
people’s mental health in different backgrounds.