COVID-19 got you stressed out? Well, you’re not alone and our nerdy, data brains over at Kickstand wanted to understand just how stressed out we all are and if it’s getting better or worse (please, please get better!).
Last week, we did our first pulse survey to understand exactly what’s getting to us the most. Each week, we’re going to repeat the study and monitor the trends.
To start with, let’s look at the question. We asked Americans who were employed full-time as of March 1, 2020 how each of the following scenarios contributed to their stress by asking them to rank each on a scale of 0-10, where 0 = no stress and 10 = maximum stress. There was also an option to select N/A.
As we talk across our own team, it’s clear that while we’re all sharing in this collective lockdown, each individual is having a unique experience and may need different support. The study looked to better understand some of the things in our new, locked-down lives that are contributing the most to stress with the goal of being able to give a picture to ourselves and other business leaders looking to best support their team during this time. Plus, we hope this makes everyone feel a tiny bit better knowing we’re all in this big ball of COVID-19 stress together!
Some of the findings from our week 1 COVID research study:
- The survey highlighted that for many, isolation and lack of connection are big stressors, with an “increased feeling of isolation,” coming in at an average stress level of 5.17 and a “lack of connection to friends and family,” coming in at 4.72.
- As companies are faced with difficult decisions and millions now filing for unemployment, it’s not surprising that job security is a significant source of stress. On average, respondents listed “concerns about job security,” and “concerns about reduction to my pay/hours” as #2 and #3 on the list at an average of 5.21 and 5.24 respectively.
- For parents, the realities of working from home while managing childcare and homeschooling are coming in strong at 4.21 and 4.45.
- Nothing is wearing on people more than simply not knowing what is going to happen next. With, “a general sense of facing the unknown daily” ranking as the #1 stressor for people with an average stress level of 6.08.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the study next week — we’ll see if our stress levels are going up or down. Have something you’d like to see in the next study? Email us your ideas at hello@meetkickstand.com.
