Search Trends 2020: Searching for Hope (or Googling Our Way Through the Shitshow)
It will come as no surprise that ‘coronavirus’ was the most Googled term worldwide during 2020. But, in this year of unprecedented (yes, I said it) surprises, sentiments and search terms, our queries sprawled far beyond the pandemic. In its annual round-up, Google Trends offers an insight into what really went through our minds this year.
It may be my inner SEO-enthusiast talking, or just my nosey people-watching tendencies coming to light, but here are some of my favourite glimpses of humanity from the internet-sphere in 2020:
A Very British Lockdown - UK Search Winners
Looking first at the UK - recently rebranded as “Plague Island” - we can see some quintessentially British eccentricities in the way that we search. It wasn’t all doom and gloom: ‘how many cases of coronavirus?’ was demoted to a lowly third place for the year’s top questions, as far more people were concerned with finding out ‘where does vanilla flavouring come from?’. Clearly British people were adding a little sweetness to their unending batches of homemade bread.
In the year that we all tried new things, there was one distinctly unexpected entrant to the top ten ‘how to’ searches: ‘how to cook eel’. Perhaps I missed out on a rising culinary trend - and I’m not altogether mad about it.
UK residents may have been stuck indoors for much of this year, but still we clung to our traditions and searched in our masses for ‘Afternoon Tea delivery’. Naturally, after the wholesome phase of lockdown came and went, the second highest delivery-related search went to ‘wine delivery’ - a nationwide cry of “let’s drink our way to the new year”!
‘Compost delivery’ took the third spot on the lockdown delivery search podium, aptly reflecting the nation’s return to a valiant Dig for Victory attitude. This was the year that we regressed into wholesome wartime habits, discovering the health benefits, financial savings, and general environmental good stuff to be found in “make do and mend”-ing. Indeed, worldwide searches for ‘how to start a vegetable garden’ doubled since 2019, allowing the ozone layer to breathe a sigh of relief.
And the soundtrack for all of that gardening? Well it’s a tie between ‘WAP’ by Cardi B and Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’. We certainly are an eclectic bunch.
There’s Hope for Humanity Yet - 2020’s Uplifting Search Trends
Beyond the expected, the unexpected, and the “oh my god, remember Tiger King?!” search trends, we can see some telling comparisons and inspiring shifts. When faced with uncertainty and confusion, of course we asked ‘when does lockdown end’, but we also looked beyond ourselves and our own circumstances. In 2020, internet searches reflected a populace that are engaged, empathetic and eager to learn.
We realised that the world has enough billionaires
In June 2020, searches in the USA for ‘how to be a millionaire’ were outnumbered by people asking ‘how to be anti-racist’ - for the first time since records began. Reacting to global unrest, people were more concerned with improving themselves and their society than improving their bank balance - even if only briefly.
Graph from Google Trends - ‘How to be an Ally’ vs ‘How to be an Influencer’
Similarly, the ever-popular ‘how to be an influencer’ search volume was surpassed by ‘how to be an ally’. Following George Floyd’s murder on May 25th, search engines saw an unparalleled interest in ally-ship, as the Black Lives Matter movement gained the coverage it deserved (and five times as many searches as last year).
It’s worth recognising that this graph visualises the fickle nature of trends and reminds us not to lose momentum. In the UK, searches for ‘racial equality’ almost doubled year-on-year; it’s great that we’re finally taking notice, but how shockingly low must the interest levels have been up until now? As we look back on the positive strides towards wider awareness and action, we mustn’t become complacent. Likelihood is, we won’t all become influencers; but we can all be allies, even when the trend-line dips.
We thought of others over ourselves
Worldwide, people searched for ‘how to help’ more in 2020 than ever before. This may seem unsurprising, given the sheer number of causes in need: how to help Australia fires, Beirut, Black Lives Matter, and coronavirus. But it’s reassuring that many people wanted to take action. Where users press enter on ‘how to help’, we can picture someone who is not just passively absorbing news, but actively trying to make a change; they may not know how yet, but their willingness alone speaks volumes.
For those who already knew how to help, they searched en mass for ‘how to donate’. We may have only opted to be allies over millionaires for a week or two in June, but we sought to give charitably all year long. Despite furlough schemes and job insecurity for so many, we searched ‘how to donate’ twice as much as ‘how to save money’.
Between savings and donating, we also focused on shopping local and shopping small. ‘Support small business’ traffic was double that of last year, consistently. Here’s hoping that our love of the little guy lives on long into the new year.
Graph from Google Trends - Search Traffic for ‘Support Small Business’ 2020 vs 2019
Alongside anti-masker outrage and widespread mask-shaming, many people appear to have pressed pause on the barrage of viral videos and opted to consider why some people may be going maskless. Searches for ‘invisible disability’ doubled this year, suggesting that we are willing to listen and to learn - hopefully before we pass judgement.
We tried to make a difference
According to Google, this was the year that people wanted to become nurses over all other careers; wanted to volunteer for the NHS above all other services; and searched for ‘how to stop climate change’ more than ever before.
What’s more, the way we search confirmed something that I knew to be true all along: we all hate the phrase “the new normal”. In 2020, people sought answers for ‘how to change the world’ twice as much as ‘how to go back to normal’. Whatever “normality” is, we realised that perhaps it is overrated, and even inherently flawed.
I’m not sure whether Google has a pithy 300-character snippet to answer ‘how to change the world’, but I have huge respect for those who are thinking big and taking the first step!
And one last statistic to warm the cockles of your heart: global searches for ‘how to thank’ hit an all-time high in April 2020. Even those who are unfamiliar with the practice sought to say "thank you” and to spread some joy to those around them.
Finally, I’d like to clarify that this article is not intended to celebrate irrationally productive people or to point fingers at those who spent nine months stuck in the depths of a beanbag, Googling nothing more than ‘how do lobsters communicate’. To anyone feeling a little lost, or looking back on 2020 as a blur, remember this: amidst the prevalent searches for baking, making and changing the world, ‘what day is it’ hit an all-time high in April 2020. This truly was the year that our grasp on reality and the passing of time became more hypothetical than ever.
*Switches tab and searches: “what is time?”*
All stats and comparisons from Google Trends’ Year in Search 2020 report.
Inspired to remember more of the good stuff from this year? Check out our rundown of 2020’s best bits.
