The Impact of COVID on Our Lives Two Years Later

We’ve been through a lot these past two years. It’s easy to admit that the COVID-19 pandemic has made an impact on our lives. Now our new survey takes a look at how.

Our wide-ranging survey on several societal changes, post-pandemic, asked questions from the importance of financial security to the pros and cons of returning to work. Some results were a little surprising.

FEELING SECURE:

Two-thirds of the people who took our survey said they are more concerned about their financial security than they were before—and many are taking steps to address it by getting a life insurance policy.

Here are some other important take-aways:

61% said the pandemic made them more concerned about how their family would be taken care of financially if they became seriously ill, or worse, could no longer provide for them.
49% said the pandemic made them question whether they had the right type and amount of life insurance as part of their overall plan for financial security and 25% contacted their insurance agent about it.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) value spending quality time with family more today than they did before.
More than half (55%) value financial security more.
Nearly half (54%) value spending quality time with friends more.

“It’s been said that life insurance is a product you buy with the hope you don’t need it right away, but our survey found that having a policy provides value,” said Louis Colaizzo, senior vice president of Erie Family Life, Erie Insurance. “In fact, 44% of respondents said the pandemic made them appreciate the peace of mind they get from having life insurance even more than they did before.”

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

One in five respondents (21%) said they moved during the pandemic while 79% said they stayed put.

Here’s why people moved:

36% to live in a place with a better quality of life
26% to live closer to family
26% to lower cost of living
18% to have a larger home so everyone could spread out more
16% to be in a nicer climate
9% got sick of their house after spending so much time in it

PETS OVER PARTNERS

For many people who worked from home during the pandemic, returning to the office brings mixed feelings. Our survey revealed what they miss or will miss most about working from home and what they like or will like most about going back.

Believe it or not, more people (21%) said they will miss their pet over the 19% who said they will miss their spouse or significant other.

Here are more results:

Top things people MISS most about working from home

Percentage of people who miss it

1. Not having to commute to work
27%

2. Not being able to do small chores around the house during breaks throughout the day (like unloading dishwasher, folding laundry) (tie)
24%

2. Not being able to spend as much time with my kids (tie)
24%

2. Having less free time (tie)
24%

3. Not being able to sleep in
23%

4. Not being able to spend as much time with my pets
21%

5. Not being able to spend as much time with my spouse/significant other
19%

Top 5 things people will LIKE most about going back to an office or other workplace

Percentage of people who will like it

1. Socializing with colleagues at work
34%

2. Not feeling cooped up in the house
33%

3. Socializing with colleagues after work
27%

4. Meeting with colleagues in person
24%

5. Having lunch with colleagues
19%

SORRY, BOSSES.

Among a list of 11 things people like or will like most about going back to the workplace, having facetime with the boss came in last, with only 14% saying this. However, men were four times more likely than women to say facetime with the boss is one of the things they’ll like the most. Almost a quarter of men (24%) said this compared to only 6% of women.

SLOW DOWN!

As national traffic safety organizations sounded the alarm about the speeding crisis intensifying during the pandemic, we wanted to know if people think drivers are still speeding more than usual.

38% of respondents agree that it seems like the number of speeding drivers increased a lot earlier in the pandemic and that hasn’t changed – drivers are still speeding to about the same degree.
When asked about their own speeding habits, only 15% said they found themselves speeding earlier in the pandemic and still do.
69% said they didn’t speed before the pandemic and don’t now.

Check out our previous survey on speeding during the pandemic to see the most popular reasons drivers said they were putting the medal to the petal.

Whether you are considering adding a life insurance plan to protect your family or want to know more about the right coverage for you, find a local agent in your neighborhood to ask questions or get a quote.

Survey methodology

This survey was conducted online by Falls & Co. on behalf of Erie Insurance from April 1 through April 8, 2022, among 500 U.S. residents ages 18 and older. Falls established the sampling quotas, designed the questionnaire, tabulated the survey responses, and managed the overall project. Falls used Dynata (Plano, TX) to administer the survey via the internet, including mobile devices, to Dynata’s captive U.S. panels who met the age, gender, and regional demographic criteria.