Image by Aaron Chown
A recent poll conducted by market research company Ipsos MORI for The Economist has found that more than a quarter of the British population would like to see nightclubs permanently closed. The poll was conducted for The Economist in order to gauge what Covid-19 lockdown measures the British public would like to see stay in place after the pandemic. The British public were asked to vote on which of the measures they would most like to see put into permanent effect, regardless of Covid-19 risk.
As reported by CLASH magazine, an alarming 26% of the population that had been surveyed motioned in favour of having nightclubs and nightlife venues permanently closed. This was behind only those who voted in favour of keeping travel quarantines and mask wearing in place. The nightlife industry in the UK has faced a particularly turbulent few months. After preparing for the reopening of clubs, venues and festivals on the proposed date of June 21st, the industry was informed on June 14th that this date would be pushed back to mid-July amidst rising Covid-19 concerns and the threat of the Delta variant.
The UK’s nightlife industry has been under immense pressure, and has been vocal about the lack of support they have received from their Government. Countless venues have been forced to close without any financial assistance. A number of movements have arisen to raise awareness about the industry’s struggles, and to protest what they believe has been a lack of support from the government. Save Our Scene, or SOS, is a London based organisation who has been at the forefront of the movement. They recently organised a protest rave on the streets of London, titled #FreedomToDance which was attended by tens of thousands of people.
