Wave 15: Venturing out, election news, finances, and more

Wave 15 of our POOL research, which examines how COVID-19 is affecting consumer behaviors, media consumption, and more, took place W/C September 4, with 928 participants.

Four key insights from the research:

• As the new COVID cases per day continue to go down from their mid-summer high, we also see a waning in the negative emotions felt by Americans, with the numbers at their lowest since Wave 1 (especially feelings of worry, stress, and anxiety). The declining emotions are aligned with the diminishing concern for a second wave or broader effects on society (though numbers remain high).
• More Americans have been venturing out to businesses this month as most stay-at-home orders have been lifted. The reported activities have been shopping at retail stores, visiting the doctor’s offices, seeing friends or family, and more people are also starting to go into school or their office.
• The pandemic has impacted how Americans their spend time, including holidays and days off. Over Labor Day Weekend, half of Americans reported plans to stay at home instead of traveling, and they’re also spending more time on media, both of which trends similarly since Memorial Day. Americans also report spending more time consuming election content as we’re about 50 days out from the election.
• Americans are spending differently and due to the pandemic, many Americans have tapped into emergency funds or savings to pay for bills, skewing towards Millennials and Gen X who are likely to have felt more financial stressors.

Get more details in our latest infographic below.