COVID-19 and The Return to Normalcy

The U.S. has started to reopen and we’re seeing people at sporting events, restaurants at full capacity, health orders being lifted, and an overall return to normalcy. As part of this, many companies, EMI included, have implemented some form of return to office life. However, this return to in-person work and other day-to-day activities is not the only shift we’ve seen in recent months and will probably not be the last.

On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidelines for Americans who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, saying that those fully vaccinated can stop wearing masks and social distancing in most settings. We ran two waves of our research-on-research – one before this CDC announcement (labeled Pre-CDC), and one after the announcement once the guidelines had gone into place (labeled Post-CDC).

Return to the Office

Of those who worked in an office setting prior to the pandemic, there was a 3% increase in the number of respondents who returned to the office.

After the CDC’s announcement, the number of respondents who plan on returning to the office increased by 15%. We also saw less uncertainty surrounding returning to work – from one wave to another, there was a 10% decrease in respondents who were unsure about whether they plan to return to the office.

Respondents also provided their level of comfort with returning to the office. After the CDC announcement, there was an 8% increase in those who were extremely comfortable going back to the office. The proportion of those who feel uncomfortable, however, stayed relatively the same.

Return to Daily Life

Respondents were asked when they believe their day-to-day activities will return to “normal,” or as they were prior to the pandemic. A shift was seen from one wave to another in which respondents believe their daily activities will return to normal sooner rather than later, and the proportion of respondents who believe things have already returned to normal increased by 9%.

When asked about participating in various activities, respondents experienced an increase in participation across all activities after the CDC announcement. Those who have attended events with large crowds in the past 6 months increased by 6%, those who traveled outside of the country increased by 4%, and those who attended a wedding increased by 7%.

In-Person vs. Virtual Meetings

Respondents were asked for which purposes they meet with others in-person, and for which purposes they meet virtually. After the CDC’s announcement, there was a 9% increase in the proportion of respondents who meet in-person for social events. There was also a 3% increase in those who meet in-person for community involvement and a 3% increase in those who meet in-person for school.

On the other hand, there was a 3% increase in those who attend virtual meetings for work, while the number of respondents using virtual meetings for social purposes decreased by 4%. Overall, respondents were less likely to meet virtually than in-person for any purpose other than work.

Changes are occurring rapidly as we make the shift to a new normal in terms of work and daily life, and there are bound to be many more adjustments to consumer attitudes and behaviors as we navigate these changes and gain new insights. For a comparison of these findings to our findings from the start of COVID-19, check out these blogs from last year:

Changes to Work and Consumer Communication Habits during COVID-19 (April 2020)

COVID-19 and its Impact on Market Research (March 2020)