JUNE 1, 2020 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ROI ROCKET: STRESSED AMERICANS PONDERING LIFE CHANGES DUE TO COVID-19
With about three in five (59%) reporting some form of household stress, many Americans are reconsidering their living situations, careers or other life plans
DENVER, CO – As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, about one in two Americans (49%) say they plan to make a significant change to their lives. The most popular change is the adoption of new habits to improve health and wellness. About two in five Americans (38%) indicate this is one of their post-pandemic priorities.
Another 10% of Americans report reconsidering or changing their careers in light of the pandemic and its health and economic implications. This sentiment is most prevalent among young adults whose educational and career prospects have been heavily impacted by coronavirus countermeasures. About one in five 18 to 24-year-olds (22%) intend to reconsider or change careers compared to 15% of those in the next age bracket, 25 to 34-year-olds.
Some of these changes are driven by inordinately high levels of household stress, whether financial, physical or emotional. Most Americans (59%) report some form of ‘serious stress’ in their household. The most prevalent type of stress is psychological/emotional (41%), followed by financial (34%) and physical/medical (18%). Younger adults-those 18 to 24-years-old-are more likely than older Americans to report emotional and/or financial stresses.
One source of stress among parents with children at home has been the challenge of working while ensuring their children are engaged in distance learning. About one in five parents (21%) say having children at home has made it much more difficult for them to work remotely during the pandemic lockdown and, on top of that, relatively few (26%) are ‘extremely satisfied’ with the quality of the distance learning their children have received.
On the whole, however, most parents (80%) rate the quality of their parenting during the pandemic as neither appreciably better nor worse than before and only 4% say it’s likely they’ll separate from or divorce their spouse or significant other.
At this point, most Americans regard their particular household stresses as unusually high but tolerable. The open question is, how long will this opinion hold? The longer current stress levels persist, the more likely we’ll see spikes in personal bankruptcies, divorces, student absenteeism and other phenomena that will, in turn, extend some of the worst consequences of the pandemic into the distant future.
ABOUT THIS RESEARCH
This study of 1,003 U.S. residents aged 18 and older was fielded between May 27 and May 30, 2020. The results have an associated margin of error of +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level in the most conservative case. This means the results come within plus or minus 3.1% of the results that would have been obtained given a census of all qualified individuals. Sample collection was balanced to U.S. Census figures for gender, age, race/ethnicity and household income.
The study is projected to run for another five (5) weeks and include separate, supplemental studies of business leaders and healthcare professionals. Press releases will be issued periodically for these studies as warranted by the results.
ABOUT ROI ROCKET
Founded in 2007, ROI Rocket is a leading provider of full-service market research, marketing and sales automation, and digital agency support with offices in Denver, CO, Vancouver, WA, and Jacksonville, FL.
PRESS CONTACTS
For additional information about this study, please contact David McGrath, CEO (david.mcgrath@roirocket.com) or Libby Perkins, General Counsel (libby.perkins@roirocket.com).