ARMONK, N.Y., July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The most recent
findings from an ongoing IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for
Business Value (IBV) survey of U.S. consumers show that Americans
remain concerned about returning to the workplace in the face of
the ongoing pandemic, and expect further outbreaks of COVID-19 in
the fall. The July research revealed a slight contrast in consumer
attitudes compared to June, when there were emerging signs of
public optimism about the direction of the pandemic and the
economy.
IBM surveyed more than 7,000 Americans in July to understand how
COVID-19 has affected their perspectives on issues including the
economy, opportunities for remote work and the return to the
workplace, and how they will visit businesses, use transportation,
and more.
"The results from our ongoing survey underscore that consumer
attitudes continue to shift as the effects of the virus fluctuate
around the country, and consumers are preparing themselves for more
permanent changes in behavior," said Jesus Mantas, senior managing
partner, IBM Services. "These new behaviors define the new
preferences that business leaders need to be able to deliver to
meet consumers where they are. This is no longer a question of
competitive advantage, it's a matter of business survival."
Noteworthy findings from the July survey include:
Most expect the pandemic and economic uncertainty to remain
for some time
Even as parts of the country cautiously
reopen, the percentage of Americans surveyed who are concerned
about personal and public health continues to rise. In July, 72%
report that COVID-19 has made them more concerned about the safety
and health of themselves and their families (68% in June). The same
percentage of respondents also said they worry about a second wave
of COVID-19 later in 2020 (65% in June), and 66% expect to see more
global pandemic-like events in the future (60% in June). Only 13%
of consumers surveyed believe that the economy will bounce back to
where it was prior to COVID-19, a 3 percentage point drop from the
previous month.
People are comfortable working remotely at least some of the
time, and remain concerned about COVID-19 in the
workplace
Once employees can return to their offices, 84% of
respondents indicated that they would still like to work
remotely at least occasionally, up 3% from June. A growing majority
also said they want employers to take clear and active measures to
protect them from exposure to the virus when they return to the
workplace, while providing flexibility to help ensure
mental health and well-being. 63% said there needs to be clear
communication from employers about what is being done to sanitize
the workplace (54% in June), and 58% say that employers should
maintain social distancing protocols in the workplace (49% in
June). 41% feel strongly that their employer should provide special
accommodations for individuals to address childcare needs – up 6
percentage points since the previous month.
Americans are resuming some daily activities, but most public
places and businesses remain empty
Americans are
increasingly getting out of the house. 27% of respondents surveyed
have already visited restaurants and bars (compared to 21% in
June). There's been a moderate increase in consumers who have
already visited a salon or barber shop – 1 in 4 have visited a
salon or barber shop in July (up from 17% in June).
However, there's a growing number of Americans who have not
visited public places or large venues during COVID-19, and likely
will not visit for the remainder of 2020. 35% don't plan on going
to shopping centers or malls this year (compared to 27% in June).
66% said they would not visit an amusement park (up from 59% in
June), and 64% won't attend a live sporting event this year (55%
June).
Telemedicine is on the rise
40% of consumers have
already taken advantage of telemedicine services to seek remote
care for less urgent issues in July (up 6 percentage points from
June) – and 60% plan to keep using these services beyond the
pandemic (50% in June), despite the fact that only 19% of those
surveyed sought virtual treatment before. Meanwhile, about
one-third indicated they have visited medical offices amidst
pandemic restrictions.
Other findings:
- Transportation: Consistently across June and July,
consumers said that they planned to reduce their use of – or forgo
entirely – ridesharing and public transportation. 53% said they
will use public transportation like buses, subways or trains less
or no longer at all (55% in June), and three out of ten said they
would exclusively use their personal vehicle (26% in
June). 70% of those without a vehicle said they would purchase
one, up 6 percentage points from June.
- Urban life: Despite the pandemic and recent social
unrest, more than half of those surveyed indicated they want to
stay in an urban area, the same percentage as polled in June. But
for some, living in urban areas has become less desirable.
Approximately 1 in 5 urban residents indicate they plan to move or
will consider moving to non-urban areas as a result of COVID-19,
similar to June.
The IBV has surveyed more than 54,000 U.S. consumers since April
and plans to continue polling the public on these topics and more
in the months ahead.
For further information on IBM's Institute for Business Value,
please
visit: https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/
About IBM Institute for Business
Value
The IBM Institute for Business
Value (IBV), part of IBM Services, develops fact-based, strategic
insights for senior business executives on critical public and
private sector issues. Follow @IBMIBV on Twitter, and for a full
catalog of our research or to subscribe to our newsletter,
visit: www.ibm.com/ibv
Media Contact
Leslie
Park
leslie.park@ibm.com
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-study-most-us-consumers-remain-unsettled-about-the-economy-visiting-public-spaces-and-returning-to-the-workplace-amidst-covid-19-301099741.html
SOURCE IBM