Remote working and learning appears to be a big part of the new normal going forward, according to a survey by Morning Consult and Verizon.
The Verizon Look Forward study was conducted to gauge the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a word, the lasting effect is going to be hybrid. Verizon used its network data to supplement the survey data. Verizon’s network traffic remains 31% above pre-pandemic levels.
At a high level, 7 in 10 Americans prefer to be working in a remote or hybrid capacity a year from now. On the education front, 58% of people K-12 schools to move classes online during inclement weather.
The poll was conducted by Morning Consult March 12 to March 14 with a national sample of 3,000 adults in the US.
Given the remote work and education push, it’s not surprising that video conferencing and collaboration tools on Verizon’s network are 2872% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Fifty-four percent of employed adults say they expect to work remote going forward and 69% say they expect to remote at least one or two days per week a year from now, according to the survey. Only 1 in 4 hope to return to in-person work full time.
For education, 77% of parents say most children will be attending school in-person a year form now and 49% expect K-12 students will have option to attend classes online at least part time. Snow days will go away as schools will go remote.
Other data points:
42% of adults anticipate that a year from now they will be shopping in person and online equally. 67% adults are spending at least 3 hours per week watching live TV with 59% watch content through a streaming service. 47% of adults have subscribed to a new streaming service. 31% of respondents said they spend 3 hours a week or more on mobile devices. 32% of respondents have either upgraded or considered upgrading their Internet bandwidth.