Pandemic led to varied changes

Research compiled by YouGov shows that the COVID-19 pandemic prompted different changes in daily routines around the world. In some places people slept more—Saudi Arabia, Brazil, China and Turkey reported increases—while Australians and Britons admitted to drinking more and residents of Mexico, Brazil and Spain reported cutting back on alcohol. Exercise rose in countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and the United States, and various nations reported shifts in diet quality.

Patterns were not uniform: YouGov’s cross-national polling found healthier eating trends in France, Italy and Greece, and improvements in diet reported in Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, while the United Kingdom showed mixed changes in exercise and diet. The survey does not claim a single cause; analysts point to lockdowns, working from home, stress and economic pressures as likely influences on sleep, alcohol use, physical activity and food choices.

Who did it? And what's their angle?

Every conspiracy theory pins one culprit and one motive on the same story. The same story can spawn any number of theories — different culprits, different motives. That's part of how you spot a conspiracy theory: the same event can be "explained" any number of ways.

You'll walk through the four moves on separate screens, with a debunk on every step.