A year after the declaration of the 2020 quarantine, a survey was conducted by this writer. The survey covered 1,270 respondents randomly sourced from all over the country, of which 66 percent are female, 66 percent are employed with 61 percent from the age bracket of 30 years old and below. Google Survey forms were sent online through the nationwide network of Carl Balita Review Center from March 13 to 14, 2021. All regions were covered across socioeconomic strata. Research ethics was observed and data privacy was respected. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data.
Fear shifted and the life that is
SEVENTY-ONE percent of the respondents expressed that the fear of Covid-19 was high (33 percent) to very high (38 percent) last year, during the onset of the quarantine, but the fear of 66 percent shifted to moderate (45 percent) to high (21 percent) in 2021. The mean score of fear was high at 3.9 (in range of 5) last year and shifted to moderate at 3.12 on the day of the survey. The one-year experience must have brought to the respondents the courage which is not the absence but the mastery of fear.
Thirty-eight percent claim that life after one year of quarantine stagnated to be the same, while to 36 percent life became worst (with 4 percent as extremely worst). To 26 percent of the respondents, life became better after one year of quarantine.
With 66 percent of the respondents still employed plus 6 percent self-employed, 52 percent are earning just enough to survive through the pandemic with 66 percent not having savings or reserve funds for the future. Only 33 percent have taken an entrepreneurial venture to generate revenue.
Fifty-seven percent are now able to go out of home almost every day (28 percent) to everyday (29 percent), with 33 percent able to go out once a week. The work-from-home set-up works to the 57 percent of the respondents, although 39 percent admitted that the level of their performance in WFH set-up is much less compared with office-based work. The 32 percent of the respondents claim that their performance is the same, while to 29 percent, WFH performance is better.
Seventy-six percent of the respondents opine that children are learning less in the current blended set-up, with 8 percent citing that the children are not learning at all. Eighty-one percent of the respondents, however, claim that they have learned new skills during this pandemic.
Sixty-one percent are still purchasing mostly through face-to-face physical transactions than online transaction, as 58 percent cite that they seldom shop online. However, 27 percent seem to shop online most of the time with only 5 percent shopping all the time. Eleven percent have never shopped online. This finding indicates a potential still available for expansion in the area of e-commerce.
After one year of quarantine that promotes contactless transactions, only 60 percent are equipped with the capacity to make cashless transactions.
So much losses but optimistic, somehow
Given a list of various aspects of life that they may have lost during the pandemic, the respondents reported loss of career opportunity (54 percent), income (42 percent), mental health (31 percent), job (23 percent), life of a family member or friend (18 percent), business (16 percent) and relationship (15 percent). Noteworthy is the revelation of self-awareness on how the pandemic has affected the psychosocial well-being of people, along with other economics-related aspect of one’s life.
Eighty-nine percent of the respondents have positive optimism for the year 2021. Ninety-one percent of the age group of 30 years old or less registered the highest optimism. However, only 12 percent of the respondents are expecting that life will be back to normal this year 2021. To 38 percent, normalcy is expected in 2022, while 28 percent expect normalcy in 2023.
The vaccine is the major determinant on how humanity will be able to end the pandemic. Part of the survey reveals that, without the privilege to choose their preferred brand of a vaccine, 66 percent are not willing (34 percent willing) to have the vaccine, but with their preferred brand, 41 percent are still not willing (59 percent are willing) to be inoculated. Eighty percent of respondents ages 51 years old and above are not willing to have the vaccine without the freedom to choose their preferred brand, but 52 percent are willing (48 percent still not willing) to get the vaccine using their preferred brand. Pfizer tops the rank of preferred brand by 35 percent of the respondents in an open-ended question followed by Astra Zeneca by 10 percent. Thirty-four percent admitted not having an idea of a preferred brand yet.
Given a range of 1 to 10 to rate the Philippine government’s handling of the pandemic (indicating 10 as being the highest), 53 percent rated from 1 to 5, while 47 percent rated 6 to 10. Moderate rating of 5 (by 19 percent) and 6 (by 15 percent) ranked highest with overall mean rating score of 5.31—which means average. The age group of 51 years old and above gave the highest mean rating for government at 5.68.
Permanent changes
IN the open-ended questions of changes that may become permanent due to the pandemic and the yearlong quarantine, the respondents provided answers in five central themes. First, the survey indicated that the human outlook and socialization must have changed permanently. Compassion, virtual human connections and digital socializations are cited as behavioral changes gained from the quarantine experience. The use of technology in social dynamics are bound to stay.
Second is digital transformation in business and transactions, which is perceived to have permanent effect not only because of current necessity but also because of the convenience they bring. The pandemic has accelerated the technological disruptions anticipated from the fourth industrial revolution.
Third, health awareness and consciousness are important permanent changes brought about by the pandemic which accustomed people to observe hygiene and sanitation.
Fourth, education may have to change permanently to retain some pedagogical approaches using technology in the delivery of educational content for the educational outcomes. The 21st century learning will not be limited to the 19th century classrooms for which even the 20th century teachers are now adapting to the technological transformation in the post-modern education.
Lastly, the educational outcomes and competencies may need to re-align with emerging job demands in the areas of information, communication, technology, and new media, as well as in the new dynamics of the workplace. The 21st century competencies expanded to include those which the workplace and society prescribe as essentials in the new normal.
The respondents, however, are maintaining their wishful anticipation for the return to normalcy in five areas, namely, mobility and travel, learning and education, work and productivity, career and business, and opportunity and economy. The paranoid economy has limited mobility and travel that left people hungry of travel and leisure. Learning and education at home may have gained some lessons but have lost the socialization in the process. Home can hardly draw the line between being a productive workplace and quiet sanctuary. Career and business are both disrupted that re-tooling and re-purposing render many old jobs, products and services obsolete. Opportunities in crisis become a mere rationalization when the global economy has suffered an unprecedented decline.
This survey provides evidence of individual perceptions that may translate to a collective reality of how humanity is and how life will be through this pandemic time. While the findings may simply state what is obvious and already known, they provide a greater snapshot of reality as it unfolds to make footprints toward a future we are capable to collectively and consciously create.
For feedback and more detailed information about the survey, send e-mail to drcarlbalita@yahoo.com.