Healthline Survey: How the COVID-19 Economy Has Affected the Work and Life of Americans

New survey reveals that about half of Americans enjoy physical distancing but miss other parts of daily routine

SAN FRANCISCO--()--As America begins to re-open for business, many Americans are still reeling from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is much more of a stressor than physical distancing, according to results of a new survey released today by Healthline.com, the flagship digital health information site of Healthline Media.

The survey, which looked at how Americans are coping with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, found that many aren’t that eager to get back to the office, gym or their favorite restaurant.

“The pandemic has presented Americans with unprecedented disruptions to their physical and psychological well-being,” said Healthline Media President and CEO David Kopp. “These disruptions have been compounded by the death of George Floyd and subsequent civil unrest. Whether it’s racism, the economy or the pandemic, Americans are looking for answers and assurance.

“We seek to understand everyone’s perspective on their physical and emotional health for Healthline to fulfill its mission of building a stronger, healthier world,” Kopp said.

Americans are facing economic and remote-work stress

More than two-thirds of Americans (70%) say the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic challenges have affected their work life.

While 5% of all American adults say they’ve lost their job, that figure doubles among 18-24 year olds. Additionally, 12% of Americans under the age of 44 have been furloughed, and another 13% of Americans under the age of 44 are still employed but fear for their job security.

More than half of Americans (52%)—including nearly two-thirds (63%) of 25-44 year olds—say they are now working remotely because of COVID-19. Of those, more than half (55%)—including 62% of 25-44 year olds—are finding it stressful.

What’s the top stressor when working from home? Social time with their colleagues is what people say they miss the most (37%). Other things that Americans find stressful about working from home include:

  • Feeling like they never leave the office (35%)
  • Lack of a private or quiet working space (32%)
  • Having to work while children are at home (32%)
  • Misunderstandings caused by online communication (26%)

However, almost half enjoy physical distancing

In spite of the grievances, nearly half of Americans (48%) say they enjoy physical distancing. This is most true of Americans ages 25-44 (58%) and least true of Americans 65+ (34%). It also includes more men (52%) than women (45%).

When it comes to routine behaviors, about a third of Americans don’t actually miss working in an office, and nearly as many don’t miss going out to eat at restaurants. In fact, more Americans miss going to a place of worship than going to a restaurant. A top five list of things Americans don’t miss includes:

  1. Working in an office (36%)
  2. Eating out in restaurants (29%)
  3. Going to the bank (27%)
  4. Working out at a gym or studio (26%)
  5. Going to a place of worship (24%)

Adopting virtual alternatives can alleviate pandemic-related stress. For example, most Americans have participated in a virtual event. Among those who did, over 80% said it made them feel better.

Methodology

The survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults was conducted online by Propeller Insights on behalf of Healthline from May 9-12, 2020. Survey responses were nationally representative of the U.S. population for age, gender, region, and ethnicity.

About Healthline Media

San Francisco-based Healthline Media’s mission is to empower people to live their strongest and healthiest life. The company is one of the world’s fastest growing health information brands with online properties Healthline.com, MedicalNewsToday.com and Greatist.com. Healthline Media’s sites provide evidence-based articles with the highest standards of medical integrity that support the modern health consumer with a whole-person approach to health and wellness. Healthline Media is the top ranked health publisher and number 39 on Comscore’s Top 100 Property rankings through January 2020. Across all of its properties, Healthline Media publishes articles authored by more than 120 writers and reviewed by more than 100 doctors, clinicians, dietitians, and other experts. The company’s repository contains more than 70,000 articles, each updated with current protocol. More than 250 million people worldwide and 87 million people in the U.S. visit Healthline’s sites each month, according to data from Google Analytics and Comscore, respectively. Healthline Media is owned by Red Ventures.

Contacts

Stacey Grimsrud
Bospar for Healthline, Stacey@Bospar.com

Contacts

Stacey Grimsrud
Bospar for Healthline, Stacey@Bospar.com