1 in 4 Msians still won’t leave the house during CMCO! 10 stats from our Duduk Rumah Survey

[Ed’s note: This survey contains affiliate links and brand messages. We’d like to say thanks to our kind sponsors and our readers for supporting our small business through this trying period. We really love ugaiz.] 

 

As we’re almost at the end of MCO phase 3, being stuck at home has gotten Malaysians doing lots of things we don’t normally do. If you’re reading this, you’re probably taking a break from working from home, scrolling FB, making Dalgona coffee, sanitizing everything, handling the family and reading through tons of Covid-19 related news.

At the time of writing, there has been 2.1 million reported cases worldwide, and honestly, we’re also getting tired of writing these articles by now. So we wonder, if we’re doing lots of unusual things this MCO, what about everyone else? That’s why a couple weeks back, we ran the Duduk Rumah Survey, where we found some funny, depressing and outright weird stats!

Before we get into the findings, here are some preliminary stats first:

• No. of respondents: 1,274
• Survey period: 3rd April – 16th April 2020
• Age group: Mostly 30 – 39 (34.1%), but with respondents across all age groups (below 17 – above 60)
• Top 5 locations: Mostly Selangor (41%), KL (21%), Penang (7%), and Sarawak (7%)… but we had respondents from every state
• Gender identification: 57.6% female, 41.5% male, 0.9% others
• Stuck at home with: Other people (89.4%), alone (10.6%)

Okay, set, lesgo!

 

1. Even after the MCO officially ends, 24.3% would continue to duduk rumah

Ha! Thought everyone would be going out to do their own thang? Turns out, almost a quarter of our respondents don’t actually believe that it’ll be safe enough to go out, even if officials consider it to be so.

On the flip side, however… we also found that a small fraction of Malaysians are pretty darn daring. 3.8% would travel right after the MCO is lifted! Who are these peeps? They’re 2x more likely to be men, as compared to women. (Oh, and 1% said they went forward with their travel plans despite being on MCO. Seriously, guys? -_-” )

Speaking of travelling, here are some insights for you guys in the industry. While most don’t plan on travelling anytime soon (43.6%), 27.2% say they’ll travel 6 months after the MCO is lifted. 15.7% will wait for a year, while 9.7% would wait for a month. 

When asked about their biggest concerns about travelling, no surprise that most were worried that it still won’t be safe enough to travel (78.8%). However, 34.8% were worried that they would have limited travel options as the world recovers, while 34.4% seem to be a bit traumatised, citing the fear of another lockdown getting them trapped in wherever in the world they are.

 

2. Penang people are the most chilled out of all

While other states were busy fighting over TP and rice, we found that our Penang respondents were just straight up vibing.

Penang has always been known for being a lot more laid back than other urban states (hint hint Klang Valley flers), so we were pleasantly surprised to see that 0% admitted to stocking up on masks and sanitisers after the MCO was announced.

In fact, 41.6% didn’t think that the situation was gonna be this bad! Even so, only 29.9% stocked up on groceries, and 19.5% checked up on their family members. Thats…. a lot sweeter than those in Klang Valley, where more were busy shopping and less were checking up on others.

When asked what they’d do when they receive a package, majority of Penangites (56.6%) said they’d just unwrap them instead of trying to even sanitise them. Guess there must be something in the water, cause at time of writing (15 April), their Chief Minister reported that there has been no new Covid-19 clusters during their second MCO phase. Beh pai ah Penang, beh pai at all.

3. Almost every sector is affected, but agriculture is making pretty decent money

With the MCO being extended, we’ve been seeing reports stating that people are either going out of job or earning less than what they used to. Almost HALF our respondents (42.1%) said that their income is affected, and out of these, almost a quarter had less than half their usual income. These people come from various industries, but we found that generally, education, insurance/finance/banking, and healthcare to be the least affected.

We also found out that quite a number of our respondents who are really making good money during the MCO are working in the agriculture industry. o_O If you’ve noticed, we’re seeing lotsa fresh produce being sold online, and that’s actually in part thanks to platforms like Lazada.

They’ve recently launched their own RM10 million stimulus package called the ‘Pakej Kedai Pintar’ cash fund, targeted to help about 50,000 SMEs sell online, stabilise jobs, and support the local economy during this time.

“Local SMEs are essential to the nation’s economic growth and people’s livelihood and by helping them, we hope to bolster Malaysians’ confidence amid the COVID-19 situation. We believe it’s the responsibility of all platform operators to lend support in times like this to the merchants who have made us successful.” – Leo Chow, CEO of Lazada Malaysia

The help comes in a series of customised benefits for all sorts of sellers, but especially those in the fresh food and groceries categories. Think free shipping services, fixed weekly payments, and the services of a dedicated support team to onboard, train, and develop customised sales campaign through their very own Lazada University.

SMEs from fresh food and groceries categories, as well as new and existing Lazada sellers, will also be entitled to zero commission and zero listing fees, on top of access to micro loan facilities. If you know someone who could use a hand getting their business online, send this link to them. Sign up anytime from now till June, and get 100% of capital costs (services provided by Lazada Malaysia, e.g. delivery, product listing, etc.) waived.

And coming up in early May, they’re also launching a digital job fair page to help job seekers connect with job opportunities. A rep tells us that, to date, close to 50 companies will leverage on Lazada’s traffic to reach out Malaysians. Sounds like hopeful news for the 42.1% of our respondents 🙂

 

4. Malaysian aunty-uncles are the MOST hygienic (62.3%)! (And teens are gross. Yerr.)

Has your mom been super kancheong about cleanliness during the MCO period? Most people of their age are acting the same as well, because 62.3% of Malaysians who are 50-59 years old tend to sanitise packages with proper disinfecting solution before opening them.

And they’re not the only ones. Thankfully, most Malaysians are pretty cautious – 49.4% of them would sanitise packages before opening them and 49.1% of Malaysians actually spent time taking care of their personal hygiene during the MCO.

But let’s be real… NOT all Malaysians are like this. Malaysian teenagers aged 18-20 years old, who would simply open up packages without sanitising them (58%). #YOLO

That’s not all. It seems like some Malaysians are still not taking hygiene seriously, because 20.4% of them claimed they saw people at supermarkets sneezing and coughing without covering their mouths! Aiyoooo…

 

5. Property is the LAST thing people wanna invest in (9.2%)… but yasss for retirement funds

Considering the fact that we’re at peak uncertainty, most Malaysians said that they’d want to save up more money for trying times in the future (56.6%). And that’s probably the smartest thing to do at this moment too, because 2020 seems like a never-ending evolving Pokemon, buuut in a bad way. No wonder why insurance plans (19.8%) were the next most popular choice – everyone needs a safety net if push comes to shove.

But we found that investing in their own retirement fund (17%) was almost as popular, probably because it’s not really an investment per se… it’s still saving up for the future, and with the way things are going, who knows what the future might look like? Our friends at PPA (Private Pension Administrator Malaysia), the central administrator of Private Retirement Schemes (PRS), tell us this:

“It is encouraging to see so many indicating that they want to save for their retirement. Inculcating the good habit of saving regularly will stand anybody in good stead to meet their retirement needs and be better prepared for any unforeseen events along the way.” – Husaini Hussin, CEO of PPA

It’s always a good idea to start early and save additionally. If you’d like to bolster your future, check out PRS and how PPA protects your interests as a member. You basically get to save more for your retirement, so you may enjoy your golden years without worrying about your finances. With PRS Online, you can also easily save from the comfort of your own home, even right now.

So… what else are Malaysians thinking of investing in? Gold (11.3%), unit trust (11.1%), and shares (10.4%) were next on the list. Shockingly, property came in last at only 9.2%. There could be multiple factors to this, including the incredibly long and layered processes of actually buying a house. To add to that, the property market has been a tricky one in recent years, and the MCO flipping people’s rice bowls just makes this huge investment a little riskier for now.

 

6. HALF of M’sians received fake Covid-19 messages… (and 4.1% admitted to forwarding them)

Haiyo, not sien meh? Despite countless govt’s warnings, we still see these messages being forwarded. As a matter of fact, 51% claimed they received fake messages on Covid-19. So, it’s no surprise that the police and MCMC are investigating 217 cases related to fake news on Covid-19.

However, it was a bit surprising how only 4.1% of Malaysians admitted to have forwarded these fake messages. For these people (and the rest who have done this but were scared to admit it), you can always check sebenarnya.my to verify your messages before forwarding them.

But this is not the only notty things Malaysians have done. Although more than half (54.1%) say they abide by MCO laws, 16.4% are guilty of stocking up on food despite already having a lot of it, and 20.7% purposely find ‘excuses’ to go out. 

And on that note, guess what’s the #1 thing Malaysians are annoyed with during this period? People who don’t take the MCO seriously (71%)! 

7. 37.1% people living with their grandparents have… you guessed it… gained weight

Y’know that one time your grandparents pay you a visit and you end up looking like this…

Well, except this time around, if you’re stuck with them then you’d be MOST likely to gain more weight compared to singles and those living with children. That’s according to 37.1% of our respondents, who live with their grandparents and admitted to have gained more weight during this MCO period.

Anyway, living with grandparents or not, 40% of our respondents said that they’ve maintained their weight. Meanwhile, 20% said they’ve gained 1-2kg, and 14.8% have lost 1-2kg. Regardless which category you’re in, we’re not shaming you… it’s a pandemic for crying out loud, your mental and physical health comes first! Speaking of which…

 

8. Those living with kids are less likely to experience emotional breakdowns

Okay, now to the more serious stuff, mental health. 39.8% said the MCO has negatively affected their mental health, and out of those, there were 3x more women than men.

We also see a correlation between physical and mental health, because 100% those who reported feeling more physically unhealthy also reported feeling negative mentally.

Interestingly, living with children shows you’re less likely to have emotional breakdowns, develop anxiety or depressive symptoms. Only 16% of people living with kids experienced these symptoms, compared to 28.3% of those who aren’t living with kids! This is especially true for those living alone, who are over 2x more likely to report these negative sentiments compared to those living with children.

9. The #1 reason why people argue during the MCO is about… cleaning duties (18.7%)?!

Yep! We can imagine all the fights that can stem from a single dirty spoon left in the sink for a day. And if you’re feeling more easily irritated during the MCO, you’re not alone, because the next most common reasons for arguments in the household are, well, simply getting irritated (8.3%), followed by being too OCD (5.6%). 

So, what are Malaysians doing to keep those fights at bay? Unsurprisingly, 52% of Malaysians show their love through food! But quite surprisingly, the next top two ways Malaysians avoid arguments are by… speaking and… not speaking? 40% of Malaysians choose to just shut up when they don’t need to speak, while 28% of said that they’re having more meaningful conversation with those in their household. Aww….

5.6% of Malaysians said they also speak like Doraemon to avoid drama at home. But funny enough, the gender split is 50-50! So both men and women are using this technique to keep their quarantine mates happy!

P/S: we’ve previously written an article on the lady behind the BM Doraemon voice, and she specially recorded this for ugaiz. So if you need a reference as to how Doraemon sounds like…

 

10. Pahang folks are the busiest in bed, while Selangor peeps… like to peep?

As the MCO gets longer, there are speculations that we might see a post Covid-19 baby boom. Being the curious people that we are, we looked into which states have been the most busy in their bedrooms. While 11% of respondents said they’ve been doing lots of bed bumping physical activities to kill time,  Pahang folks have been extra reproductive, at 27%! Johor and Kedah aren’t too far behind, at 20% and 19% respectively.

On the flip side, the least horny states are Penang (8.8%), KL (6.9% teehee) and Sabah (5.9%).  Oddly enough, while not many Penangites admitted to doing the horizontal tango, they’re the #2 state with most people buying condoms, only losing to Sarawak. So, if Penang folks aren’t having that much sexy time anyway, the question is, what are they even using all these condoms for? Make balloon animals izzit?

All jokes aside, the MCO is possibly gonna cause a global condom shortage. If ugaiz also wanna stock up on some personal protective equipment, our friends at P’sang, a local condom manufacturer, delivers right to your doorstep with 100% confidentiality (no logo, brand name, or product description written on the delivery slip).

OH! You can also get 10% off for your first purchase using our discount code: WILLYSOS.

And in case you’re wondering, YES, their condoms do smell like pisang! No more yucky latex smell ruining your sexy time… They also have a bubblegum flavour which smells and taste like bubblegum. 

Moving on, Selangorians on the other hand are, um, special in their own ways. While only 10% of Selangor folks reported getting more exercise in bed, 3% of them admitted that they peep on their neighbours… and that’s waaay more than any other states in Malaysia! (Eh illegal ar…. tsk tsk…)

 

When dealing with the MCO, Malaysians banyak pattern la…

Well and that’s because, for many of us, this is the first time we’ve been pushed to face such a situation! A pandemic outbreak, coupled with uncertain economic times ahead, have gotten us thinking about how we live our lives. Fortunately, we’re also seeing plenty of Malaysians coming together during these trying times. Whether it is to help the frontliners or to feed the less fortunate, these are the kind of feel good news that help restore our faith in humanity. 🙂

But at the end of the day, the MCO is necessary and has helped Malaysia manage this pandemic better than predicted, while also getting our nation international recognition (thankfully for the right reasons this time).

So, we at Cilisos really wanna thank ugaiz for doing your part in this war against the invisible enemy. Together, we will come out of it, and maybe gain some new perspectives on life as well! And if you still tak puas reading about our survey findings, nah, here’s some bonus stats for you data freaks out there:

• Malaysians are pretty productive! 59.9% were busy cleaning and organising their home, trying new recipes (41.8%), and finding ways to improve themselves (29.2%). Only 0.4% said they were only scrolling through social media!
• 22.8% made Dalgona coffee, and more than half of them were female respondents. No idea if the coffee jadi or not tho.
• Only 3.2% made a TikTok video… which is kinda surprising for this writer cos we’re seeing so many people on our timeline on it! (Maybe our respondents shy and dun wanna admit…)
• 29% of Malaysians actually spend their time playing online games like DotA. And guess what? Surprisingly, 11.4% of them are uncles and aunties aged 50 years old and above!
• Although there have been a lot of feel-good reports on Malaysians who helped frontliners during the emergency, we found out that they only make up 2% of general Malaysians, more than half of them are females.
• Despite those viral balcony party videos online, only 1.6% of Malaysians have participated in it. Malaysians would rather do other feel-good stuff like feeding stray animals (7%) or sending surprise care packages to their loved ones (6.7%). 🙂
• Although 31.6% of our respondents cannot relate to missing their workplace, most of them (24.7%) are adjusting to work from home pretty well. And, apparently, Kelantan folk really miss their workplace while those from Melaka actually hate their workplace and colleagues. #yikes
• 24.5% of Malaysians admitted that they have spent their time during the MCO to pray and meditate, most of them are 60 years old and above (43.08%). In fact, some of our respondents said the first place they’d go to once the MCO is lifted is the church.
• Parents, don’t feel too guilty about the ways you deal with your kids! 23% admitted to giving them unlimited screen time during this period.

Ok itu je. Stay safe, everyone, and hang in there!