New Strada survey examines impact of COVID-19 pandemic

Posted by Strada Education Network on April 7, 2020

Concerned. Cautious. Worried.

More than half of Americans report feeling these emotions in the first week of a new Strada Consumer Insights survey to track how COVID-19 impacts Americans’ lives, their work, and their needs for education and training. The Public Viewpoint: COVID-19 Work and Education Survey will be updated weekly. Our intent is to provide insights to the education providers, policymakers, employers, and individual Americans who are navigating this crisis.

This week’s results show how the pandemic already is taking a toll: Nearly half the workforce already has lost income, the majority of people are worried about losing their jobs, and most Americans believe their finances will be negatively impacted. Additionally, if they look ahead to their needs for future education, online and on-the-job programs are their immediate preferences. Detailed results and materials are available for your review and use here.

We hope this information provides insights in this tumultuous time and helps you better understand how this crisis is disrupting Americans’ daily lives.

Key Findings

• The majority of Americans are feeling concerned (64%), cautious (59%) and worried (51%).
• Among those in the workforce, 57% are worried they will lose their jobs (15% extremely worried, 14% very worried, 28% somewhat worried).
• One-third (33%) believe that if they lose their jobs, they will need additional education and new skills to find a comparable one.
• If Americans could choose where to receive education and training, their top preferences would be online colleges and universities (26%), apprenticeships or internships with a local employer (18%), or online community colleges (17%).

Resources

• View a video summary of this week’s survey.
• View charts and analysis of important learnings.
• Download this week’s report, including raw data.