Harris Poll COVID-19 Tracker Wave 110

In The Harris Poll Tracker (Week 110) fielded from April 1st to 3rd, 2022 among 2,097 U.S. adults, we find that more than two-thirds of Americans (69%) believe the worst of COVID-19 is behind us, a 17%-point increase from the beginning of February. In partnership with Axios, we found that a rising number of unvaccinated parents are warming to childhood COVID-19 vaccines and what it would take to get workers off the sidelines with Fortune. Additionally, we detail the hidden toll of insomnia on Americans, the latest on employee considerations when staying or quitting, and a spotlight on the mental health of Chicago residents.  

Tune in for our America This Week: From The Harris Poll audio event, this Friday at 10am EST on LinkedIn for a data-driven discussion between our CEO John Gerzema and CSO Libby Rodney. They’ll be covering the latest trends in society, the economy, and the consumer marketplace. 

As a public service, our team has curated key insights to help leaders navigate COVID-19. Full survey results, tables, and weekly summaries can be accessed for free at The Harris Poll COVID-19 Portal. We will continue to actively field on a regular cadence to track the shifts in sentiment and behaviors as the news and guidelines evolve.

Some Hesitant Parents Warming to COVID Shots: Axios-Harris Poll

According to our latest survey as covered by Axios, a growing segment of the wait-and-see crowd may be warming to the idea of getting a COVID-19 shot for kids 5 and under.  

• More than one in four parents with kids 5 and under said they were unvaccinated and (46%) of those parents said they would be likely to vaccinate their children. 
• The likelihood is up from (35%) in early February. 
• It’s also well above the low of (22%) later in February after a delay in Pfizer’s FDA authorization process was announced. 
• Three-quarters (75%) of vaccinated parents, along with (52%) of Republican parents and rural parents, respectively, said they would get their kids vaccinated. 
• Timing is split, however: (58%) of parents would vaccinate their young child(ren) quickly after a vaccine authorization, while (42%) would wait for a period before doing so. 

Takeaway: While many polls tend to generalize the unvaccinated as partisan and unwilling to change their minds, this data shows more nuance to how parents weigh what’s best for their kids, said John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll.

The Secret to Getting Workers Off the Sidelines: Fortune-Harris Poll

With the U.S seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases, employment levels are starting to pick up. But many Americans are still sitting on the sidelines, so in partnership with Fortune, we raised the question: What will it take to lure them back to work?

• Context: About 1.4 million Americans working pre-pandemic still haven’t returned to the workforce as of February, and the labor force participation rate in February continued to be below pre-pandemic levels. 

• About (42%) of overall workers reported that a flexible schedule was the benefit most likely to get them to consider a job, followed by the ability to work remotely (34%) and expanded employer retirement contributions (32%).

• Looking beyond benefits: One senior economist predicts that a lack of savings will push more Americans to find a job, especially as U.S. personal savings rate fell below pre-pandemic levels for the first time in two years.

Takeaway: Better work arrangements and benefits may help companies in the war for talent, however, most experts believe the U.S. still has a ways to go before the workforce sees maximum employment again, likely not until even 2024, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

The Hidden Toll of Insomnia: The Alliance for Sleep-Harris Poll

According to our latest report, Wake Up America: The Night & Day Impact of Insomnia, in partnership with The Alliance for Sleep and covered by Yahoo! Finance, trouble sleeping and insomnia have a massive impact on a variety of aspects across American lives.

• More than half of people with trouble sleeping feel frustrated and (70%) report that they are desperate to find a solution.
• Yet, despite sleep being seen as the third pillar of health, alongside diet and exercise, only (27%) of those with trouble sleeping report their doctors asking about their sleep habits and quality during routine visits.
• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of those with trouble sleeping believe they are knowledgeable about sleep and insomnia, yet, of those, two-thirds believe common sleep myths such as “your body can get used to functioning on less sleep” and “naps make up for the loss of sleep during the night.”
• Additional findings from the report detail how troubled sleeping and insomnia lead to negative daytime effects across work and relationships, along with an enormous impact on work productivity.

Takeaway: According to Ruth Benca, MD, PhD, co-chair of The Alliance for Sleep: “We hope these survey results will spark a true wake up call for Americans, both patients and healthcare providers, demonstrating things need to change if we are to shore up sleep as the third pillar of health.”

For Those Considering Quitting, a Third Just Haven’t Found a Suitable Job Yet: CareerArc-Harris Poll

Among employed adults who considered resigning but stayed with their employer over the last 12 months, the top reason cited for staying was not having found a job that meets their requirements (32%), suggesting employers may see more resignations in the coming months.

• Employed women who considered resigning but stayed with their employer in the last year are more likely than their male counterparts to say they stayed because they haven’t found a new job that meets their requirements yet (44% v. 24%).  
• Two in three employed Americans (66%) received a pay increase in the past year, yet only (60%) of employed women report having received one compared to (71%) of men.
• Pay is not the top reason for staying: Of those employees that never considered resigning, they were more likely to say they like their job (49%), have a good work-life balance (43%), satisfied with their salary (40%), and have a flexible work schedule (35%) compared to those who have considered resigning (24%, 24%, 27%, 25%, respectively). 
• Women were more likely than men to say a flexible work schedule was among their reasons for staying with their current employer (40% v. 26%), which aligns with previous findings. 

Takeaway: As the Great Resignation slows down, employers need to lean into passive candidate recruiting strategies, such as reviewing remote and flex work policies and benchmarking compensation and benefits packages, to attract top candidates.

Chicago-Area Workers Still Facing COVID’s Mental Health Effects: Crain’s Chicago Business-Harris Poll

After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chicago residents know the illness’s physical symptoms, but COVID’s effects extend beyond the physical. COVID has sparked a wide-scale mental health crisis among Chicago’s workers and families according to our latest survey with Crain’s Chicago Business. 

• Three-quarters (73%) of city residents and (65%) of suburbanites are concerned about mental health, as it ranked third in a list of common public health concerns among Chicago-area residents (69% v. COVID-19 pandemic: 79%, public safety: 70%). 
• Half of Chicago-based essential workers and (54%) of those living with one believe that the pandemic harmed their mental health (v. 44% of all Chicago-area residents). 
• One-third (34%) of essential workers even report that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their physical health as well (v. 30% of all Chicago-area residents). 
• Two-thirds (66%) of Chicagoans believe that essential workers’ physical and mental health are equally important – yet only (16%) believe that local leadership has done enough to prioritize the mental health of essential employees. 

Takeaway: According to Harris Poll CEO, Will Johnson, “we need to stop measuring the city’s health solely by the number of positive COVID tests, available hospital beds, and COVID deaths since Chicagoans’ overall well-being cannot be measured by these hard statistics alone.”