Google uses footer contents as page description

Page descriptions are suggestions to Google. Google modifies page descriptions in search results based on the search query. So it may feel that your footer content is more relevant to your search queries than your description.

There’s no way around it. It’s done automatically by Google.

Google will sometimes use the meta description of a page in search results snippets, if we think it gives users a more accurate description than would be possible purely from the on-page content.

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35624?hl=en

It does appear that there is a way around the footer problem after reading this:
https://support.google.com/customsearch/answer/2364585?hl=en

Though I don’t have experience doing what the 2nd half of the instructions describe.

It would be nice if this were automated somehow in Yoast SEO, because at the moment I’m wondering why to bother entering descriptions, if Google is going to ignore them.

You have to edit your theme files, for this. But keep in mind, this feature is only for “Google Custom Search.” This is not for regular Google.

I’m still looking for the cse.xml file…..

OK, found it in Google Custom Search, which I had not previously been familiar with. I had been looking in Webmaster Tools.

Well now I know a way to try to achieve what I need… though it seems like it could/should be more automatic.

Or maybe Custom Search does not effect the search results that I’m looking for. It’s for creating an internal search of your site or certain sites.

That feature should be available in Yoast if possible or at least in Webmaster Tools.

That’s something you would have to suggest to Google. Google always has total control over what shows up in search results, regardless of what we do.

One thing I can recommend, try changing your footer wording. Maybe that will become less relevant and Google will not show it. Also, maybe trying different versions for your descriptions to make them more relevant.