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4 June 2020updated 04 Sep 2021 12:26pm

Has there been a “Cummings effect“ on lockdown compliance?

The data shows increased mobility during the Cummings story, but it is harder to prove a causal link.

By Nicu Calcea

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Chief Advisor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings returns home after making a statement inside 10 Downing Street on May 25, 2020 in London, England. On March 31st 2020 Downing Street confirmed to journalists that Dominic Cummings was self-isolating with COVID-19 symptoms at his home in North London. Durham police have confirmed that he was actually hundreds of miles away at his parent's house in the city. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)

Did the news of Dominic Cummings’ trips to Durham and Barnard Castle have an effect on the British public’s adherence to lockdown rules?

The latest evidence indicates that the controverisal story of the Prime Minister’s chief adviser breaking lockdown rules coincided with a sharp increase in driving and walking in the UK, as shown in Apple data collected from smartphones.

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