Survey: What matters to you most in Scotland's 'new normal'?

Life for all of us has changed beyond recognition since the end of March.

Institutions which we took for granted have crumbled – from the office, the daily commute and the ‘sandwich economy’ to live events, festivals and group trips to the pub.

One thing which has become clear is that life is unlikely to return to ‘normal’ as we used to think of it.

As Scotland faces its bumpy road out of lockdown, now is a unique opportunity to re-evaluate what matters most to us and how we want our society to look in the future.

Now we are asking Scotsman readers to help us take the temperature of the nation with a snapshot survey called the Big Conversation.

We want to find out what has changed since lockdown - and what the new society which emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic should look like to benefit us all.

Those months when we could only leave the home for essential tasks were tough - but they also meant that we got to know our neighbours and began to appreciate the freedoms we had lost.

And who would have thought that millions of us would leave our homes on Thursday evenings to applaud the key workers who were keeping us going?

Through our survey we want to know what your priorities are around healthcare, government spending and tourism in the future.

With the hospitality sector on hold for six months, festivals cancelled and flights grounded, now is a unique opportunity to gauge what you want the tourism industry in our cities and countryside to look like in the future.

With the furlough scheme set to end in October there are increasing worries for jobs in the country’s hotels, restaurants and bars, as well as those associated with airports.

But there have been those who welcomed a pause in the influx of tourists, and a quiet August in Edinburgh – something which was unthinkable until the pandemic broke out.

Changes to tourism may also affect the number of short-term lets, which some have complained are pricing locals out.The survey will ask what we have learned from the past six months and whether you have maintained the community spirit which was so strong in many areas in the first weeks of lockdown.

Questions will also ask about your personal experience of lockdown, and the impact on your finances and mental health.

We ask you to join in the Big Conversation with us online here.

The survey will be available for two weeks, after which we will share the results with you in print and online.

If you are unable to fill in the survey online or you would like to send us more of your thoughts on lockdown life and beyond, please send an email to [email protected] with The Big Conversation in the subject line.

Let's work together to try to ensure that the lessons we learned and the community spirit we enjoyed earlier this year can become a part of all our lives in the future.