Americans are planning home improvements in case there’s another lockdown

As cities across the U.S. lift stay-at-home orders, many Americans are getting back to work — but most have concerns about another wave of coronavirus infections in the fall that could again disrupt work and school. With that in mind, some people are planning to make home improvements while others mull remote work options to safely continue their jobs.

The latest findings from the Ipsos Coronavirus Consumer Tracker survey show that significant numbers of Americans believe there will be a fall lockdown where they live, schools will close again and someone at home will lose their job due to another lockdown. While 65% of Americans don’t plan to do anything different if the virus flares up again, others are planning improvement projects.

• One-quarter of those polled (27%) say they’ll make changes or repairs to their home in case they have to shelter in place again.
• One-fifth (21%) say they’ll outfit their home office with new equipment. That’s up from 17% a month ago.
• Another one in five (20%) plan to upgrade their home internet speed.
• Younger adults ages 18 to 34 are most likely to expect a fall lockdown — half of them do — and to be planning home improvements — 42% of them are planning them.

Regardless of the lockdown, since the pandemic spread across the country, corporate giants from Twitter to Facebook have announced plans to let many employees work from home, some permanently. Still other companies like Google and Shopify announced plans to give workers $1,000 stipends to outfit their home offices to work from home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published guidelines and a workplace decision tool for employers to consider when reopening their businesses, and safety and security remain top of mind for employees as they wait for their return-to work orders.

• The vast majority of employees (73%) agree that their companies are focused on the right priorities right now.
• The number is higher for parents with kids at home (84%) compared to those without (69%).

Despite all the uncertainty and fear sparked by the pandemic, workers have remained largely satisfied with how their companies have reacted.

• 41% of people say they feel more proud about working for their company. That includes 17% of people who say they are a lot more proud.
• A minority of workers disagree: 11% say they feel less proud of their company since the pandemic, with 4% saying they are a lot less proud.