Hybrid work (and commuting) really seem here to stay

The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.

Why we asked about work patterns: You might recall a bit of a blip in the “where do you work” data from earlier this year. We said at the time, “We’re not ready to declare this as a huge shift to hybrid from remote, but we’ll definitely keep an eye on it and see if it’s a blip in the data or a real trend.” And we are true to our word.

What we found: So here’s the thing. It looks like the answer is both. There was a blip in the data when hybrid suddenly jumped at the start of the year. But also, it’s clear as that settles back in to where it was for most of 2023 that there is indeed a trend. Hybrid is here, has been here, and isn’t going anywhere. We do see a 9-point increase from last year of people saying that their office had issued work-location guidelines. But it doesn’t seem to have changed much in how we’re working, as you can see in this chart. 

One thing to stress, however, is that we have a better understanding of the fact that hybrid is here to stay and that that will affect how we commute. Many more workers now expect their commute to change (36%) than at this time in 2022 (24%). Of those, there’s a big jump to 28% (up 9 points) of people saying they will commute less overall and work from home some.

More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:

Americans are not (yet) interested in spatial computing

The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?