Latest MRI-Simmons COVID-19 Study Reveals Dramatic Changes in American Attitudes and Behavior

NEW YORK, June 15, 2020 -- MRI-Simmons, the essential consumer truth set, today announced the release of its latest COVID-19 Consumer Study, providing in-depth analysis of consumer behaviors and attitudes resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. Among its many findings, the latest study revealed increases in the number of Americans who feel “Nervous” as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, as well as those who claim they will be a lot more cautious in what they do and how they do it going forward. The study also revealed concerns amongst consumers around personal privacy, as technologies like contact tracing are considered to fight COVID-19.

Attitudes

As state and local authorities begin to ease lockdowns and quarantine orders, Americans are clearly very different emotionally than just six weeks ago. Thirty-nine percent of Americans report feeling Nervous due to COVID-19, up 11% from the previous wave. And 69% of Americans identify with a “Live and Learn” attitude, reporting they will be a lot more cautious in the future – a 25% increase from the previous wave.

Privacy Concerns

When asked about their willingness to download a contact tracing app to their phone, the ‘Accepting’ and ‘Nervous’ segments certainly diverge, as Nervous Americans are 14% more likely to participate compared to adults 18+.

While the majority of Americans agree they would be willing to give up some privacy to fight COVID-19, the list of entities they trust with their personal information is a short one. More than half of adults trust Universities to collect data in a way that protects their identity and personal data. The same, however, is not true of tech companies and the government, where consumers cite concerns that those institutions may use their personal data for reasons other than COVID-19.

““As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, more and more Americans are feeling uneasy and are implementing significant behavioral changes to deal with the crisis,” said Karen Ramspacher, SVP Innovation and Insights at MRI-Simmons. “We believe this will have huge implications, not only for the way Americans adjust to their new normal, but also for brands who will need to create the right conditions to make consumers feel comfortable re-engaging.”.”

Attitudes on the ‘New Normal’

When it comes to adjusting to their “new normal” lifestyles, Americans have conditions.

When asked what practices would be needed to make them feel comfortable engaging in their usual activities, frequent restaurant diners say that limiting customers in the restaurant (53%), sanitizing tables after each customer leaves (50%), and spacing out visitors/seating (50%) are the top practices they hope to see. Frequent movie goers want to see theaters provide hand sanitizer for patrons (39%), and four in ten want to see theaters space out seating to separate patrons. And for frequent mall and shopping center patrons, limiting customers (45%) and providing hand sanitizer (43%) are most cited.