2020 Google Search Trends: Coronavirus, Election & Kobe Bryant

U.S. consumer interests in 2020 were heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic, the presidential election, and the shift to virtual communication, as revealed in Google’s recently published list of top trending searches. These trends highlight search terms that experienced significant increases in traffic throughout the year when compared to 2019, offering a clearer understanding of evolving consumer priorities than simply identifying the most frequently searched terms.

Global search trends mirrored these results.

Within the United States, “Election results” ranked as the most popular trending search, closely followed by “Coronavirus.”

The PlayStation 5, Zoom, and searches related to several notable figures who passed away during the year also garnered substantial attention.

Specifically, the top trending searches of 2020 were: “Election results,” “Coronavirus,” “Kobe Bryant,” “Coronavirus update,” “Coronavirus symptoms,” “Zoom,” “who is winning the election,” “Chadwick Boseman,” and “PlayStation 5.”

Top trending News searches reflected similar themes, with the election, the pandemic, and its associated consequences dominating the list. The year also saw significant interest in coverage of unfortunate events, including natural disasters and the substantial stock market decline in 2020, known as the “Coronavirus Crash.”

The top trending News searches, in order, were: “Election results,” “Coronavirus,” “Stimulus checks,” “Unemployment,” “Iran,” “Hurricane Laura,” “Super Tuesday,” “Stock Market,” “Murder hornet,” and “Australia fires.”

Google’s year-end analysis also identified leading searches for individuals, encompassing actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and those who were sadly lost. In the U.S., “Joe Biden” was the top people and politician search, while “Tom Hanks” (following his COVID-19 diagnosis), “Ryan Newman,” “Shakira,” and “Kobe Bryant” also ranked highly.

The year-end review further categorized trends across various topics, including popular TV shows, sports teams, songs, movies, and games.

The most popular choices in these categories were, in order: the Netflix sensation “Tiger King,” the Boston Celtics, the song “WAP,” the film “Parasite,” and the game Among Us.

On a global scale, many of the leading trends aligned with those in the U.S., with “Coronavirus,” “Election results,” “Kobe Bryant,” “Zoom,” and “IPL” being the most searched terms. Globally, top trending News searches included “Coronavirus,” “Election results,” “Iran,” “Beirut,” and “Hantavirus.”

Similar patterns emerged within subcategories, with “Tom Hanks,” “Ryan Newman,” “Among Us,” “WAP,” “Parasite,” “Joe Biden,” and “Tiger King” all appearing as top searches.

Beyond the specific search terms, Google observed broader trends in user behavior. People continued to utilize Google to seek explanations and understand the world around them, frequently using “why” queries. This year, however, many of these “why” questions centered on COVID-related topics, such as the availability of essential supplies like toilet paper, face masks, and hand sanitizer, driving top “where to buy” searches. Users also actively searched for nearby resources, including COVID-19 testing locations and early voting centers, as well as information about local protests through “Near Me” searches.

Despite the challenges of the year, people maintained a sense of optimism, as evidenced by searches for activities to enjoy during coronavirus lockdowns. Searches for “sourdough bread recipe” reached record highs, and other popular food-related searches included “whipped coffee” (fueled by TikTok), “Disney churro,” and “Dole whip.” Top “how to” searches reflected a shift towards self-sufficiency and at-home learning, with increased interest in topics like how to cut hair, trim bangs, color hair at home, work remotely, take virtual field trips, and plan virtual dates.

Searches for “Black Lives Matter” increased fivefold compared to 2019.

Detailed information on these searches and trends across various markets is available on Google Trends.