Just one in five Britons are expected to hit the High Street as soon as the coronavirus lockdown ends amid fears over their finances and job security, a poll has found.

More than half of people in the UK hope to be back at the shops within two weeks, while about 80 per cent expect to return within a month.

But about 15 per cent of consumers say it will take them at least three months to return to shops, while a further 5 per cent plan to shift most purchases online. 














The Jefferies survey also found people are generally not booking holidays for the rest of 2020


The lockdown has been in place since March 23 and will last until at least May 7 as Britain battles with the pandemic which has already killed 16,500 people.

Now, a survey by investment bank Jefferies revealed in The Times has interviewed more than 5,500 people from 11 countries to see how they are coping.






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It found two thirds of Britons fear for both their finances and job security, with their biggest domestic concern being running out of food or household designer bathroom accessories products.

The poll also revealed people feel the experience will change them and the world for the better, and governments are generally seen to be handling the crisis well.






The poll found Americans are more optimistic about their finances than those in Europe







The survey also found that people's house purchase intentions remain largely unchanged


Global comparisons from the study show that people in the US and Asia are more keen to return to shops than those in Europe immediately after the lockdown. 

Countries are expected to gradually ease their respective lockdown measures in the coming months, with Germany already beginning to relax shop closures.

It comes after figures revealed UK retail footfall experienced its sharpest ever decline after shops shut their doors in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Footfall across retail destinations dived by 44.7 per cent in March due to the lockdown, according to the BRC-ShopperTrak footfall monitor released yesterday.






A man cycles along a near-empty high street in Leicester on Sunday as shops remain shut







An empty Camden High Street in North London as the UK continues to remain in lockdown


It found that UK footfall declined by 17.7 per cent in the three weeks before the lockdown was enforced on March 23.