Financial security, lockdown
Almost half of Americans (49%) are still extremely worried about their financial security, and 33% are worried about an economic downturn, according to a study from Toluna and Harris Interactive.
Although many areas in the U.S. continue to come out of lockdown, Americans are hesitant to visit restaurants, theaters, gyms, spas and travel. Only 42% of those surveyed will eat out, and only 15% will go on a vacation within the U.S. When entertainment venues open, 49% of Americans would be more likely to attend if venues practice social distancing, and 51% if hand sanitizer and masks are provided.
The research was conducted June 25-30, 2020.
Americans establish “bubbles”
The Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index reports that Americans are increasingly adopting emergent behaviors to adapt to the ongoing pandemic. Forty-seven percent have established a “bubble” of people outside of their household that they can interact with and 63% are wearing masks at all times when leaving home to deal with the ongoing concern about getting sick. Three-quarters (75%) of Americans say others’ behavior is making the pandemic worse, according to the study. However, 94% say their own behavior is making the pandemic better.
The study also looks at the public view of potential first-generation vaccines. Three in five (61%) Americans view “taking the first generation COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available” as a moderate or large risk. Eighteen percent of Americans know someone who has died from the coronavirus. Black (31%) and Hispanic (28%) continue to be more likely to know someone who has died of the coronavirus compared to white (13%) Americans.
The research was conducted in July 2020. Read more.
Children spending more time with tech
A new poll from the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition and Ipsos reports that seven in 10 parents of a child under 18 years old say their child is spending more time using the television, with more than half saying the same for tablets (58%), smartphones (58%), laptops (57%) and video games (53%). At least three in five parents say their child is spending more time watching online movies or shows (69%), participating in remote or e-learning (67%) and videochatting or FaceTiming (61%).
Significantly more parents say they are spending more than four hours a day using electronic devices (59% since the pandemic began, up from 36% prior to the pandemic) or playing video games (22%, up from 12%) since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, the number of children spending more than four hours a day using electronic devices (44%, compared to 21%) or playing video games (28%, from 13%) has more than doubled from before the pandemic began. Parents with a child aged 14-17 are most likely to say their child is using electronic devices or playing video games for more than four hours on an average day.
The research was conducted May 29 – June 2, 2020. Read more.
Lasting impact on purchasing trends
AMC Global and OpinionRoute report that COVID-19 will have a lasting impact on consumer purchasing trends. During the pandemic, 60% of consumers purchased food brands not typically used before—only 21% predict they will return exclusively to their original food brand; 54% tried something new for cleaning with 33% planning to return exclusively to their original cleaning brands. Many expect the future to include a mix of both newly tried and usual brands after COVID-19 (72% food, 55% cleaning).
Loyalty may be stronger for toilet paper, while 57% had to purchase something outside of their typical brand during COVID-19, 49% will return to their original brand. Consumers predict that some changes in behavior will continue after the pandemic is considered over. Seventy-three percent expect to continue eating more home-cooked meals and 62% expect to continue improving cooking skills and eating more fresh ingredients. Only 22% predict that increased “pandemic snacking” will continue.
The research was conducted July 10-12, 2020. Read more.
Routines and government response
According to Heart+Mind Strategies’ ongoing COVID-19 tracking study, 71% of Americans expect some permanent routine changes as a result of COVID-19 and 90% miss at least one of their routines. One changed routine, work environment, is affecting many Americans as 29% report that they have shifted to working from home full time due to COVID-19. Working from home is more likely among college graduates, 100k+ income, Generation X and males, ages 35-54.
The tracking study also looks at the government response to the coronavirus pandemic. The British government has seen a continued downward slide in the last two months for its response, while Australia has seen a positive increase, possibly rooted in managing expectations, according to the report.
The research was conducted July 7-9, 2020.
Shopping for comfort
Shoppers are seeking products to lift mood and satisfy cravings, according to InsightsNow’s ongoing study on COVID-19 and clean-living behavior. At the end of June 2020, the study showed 61% of increased consumer product purchases were driven by a desire to lift mood or to satisfy craving for specific sensory experiences, up from 6% in March 2020. Functional health and safety motivators have dropped to 54% of increased purchases in late June, down from 84% in March 2020. Social motivators associated with providing healthy alternatives for family members or to respond to recommendations from friends also increased to 44% at the end of June from 24% in March 2020.
The research was conducted through July 10, 2020. Read more.
Global concern, second wave
Global Web Index’s fifth wave of coronavirus-focused research finds that consumers from 18 countries around the world now expect the outbreak to last longer than they previously thought it would. Two-thirds of consumers are extremely, very or quite concerned about a second wave of the pandemic.
Some countries, including France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and the U.K., are now reporting their lowest levels of concern regarding their own domestic situation. Levels of concern regarding the global situation remain high everywhere, though Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Romania and the U.S. record the lowest levels of about 65-75%. Brazil, India and the Philippines are the only places where concern about one’s own country is equal to, or higher than, concern about the global situation.
The research was fielded in July 2020 in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the U.S. Read more.