Signals #2: Understanding the Coronavirus Crisis

Since our first edition of Signals was published, the global spread of coronavirus has continued to accelerate, with a quarter of the world’s population now living under some form of lockdown to combat the crisis.

Ipsos is committed to helping our clients navigate this world of rapid change, and this digest has been prepared to help us all better understand the dynamics of the pandemic.

In this second edition, we present our latest research on coronavirus and draw on our surveys, social media monitoring and the analysis of Ipsos teams around the world.

Contents include:

• Opinion polling – Our latest coronavirus opinion poll across 14 countries finds a public divided on whether isolation and travel bans will prevent the spread, while border closures have become more acceptable.
• Points of view – Doing research during a crisis allows businesses to better predict and prepare for what to do next. In our new paper, Innovating during challenging times, we present the key takeaways from analysis of our concept testing database across 93 countries, and find that consumers are more open to new ideas during a crisis since their usual habits have been interrupted. Meanwhile, Corporate Reputation and Coronavirus sets out some early ideas on how organisations can respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Research reports – Drawing on data from our online social listening tool, Synthesio, our new social media report looks at how social networking sites are combating misinformation in online coronavirus conversations. In another new report, Medical Crowdsourcing, we explore what doctors are discussing in online closed communities about coronavirus and highlight some of the key themes emerging.
• Country insights – Analysis from Italy shows that the #Istayathome initiative is helping to keep the level of perceived personal threat under control there, but limitations enforced by the government are heightening the sense of threat, especially for local communities. In France, our study of online conversations in the days that followed the start of their lockdown illustrates how social media can act as a real and positive outlet for the stressful experience of self-isolation. Finally, three months after the first cases of coronavirus were reported in China, we examine the current situation in the country, providing pointers as to what other nations can learn from their experience, and what brands can do in these uncertain times.