Widespread Financial Hardship, Profound Worry, and Postponement of Major Decisions For more information, contact: Steve Raabe, President, OpinionWorks 410-271-3795 (Annapolis, May 22, 2020) A new statewide survey of Marylanders conducted by OpinionWorks on the impacts of COVID-19 shows that residents across the state are deeply worried that they or someone in their immediate family will contract the illness, that half of Marylanders are impacted financially, and large numbers are postponing or canceling major milestones like weddings, schooling, retiring, or relocating. The representative survey of 612 Maryland adults was conducted April 28 through May 4, 2020. It has a margin of error of ±4.0%. “The impacts of COVID-19 that people describe are profound and heartbreaking,” said Steve Raabe, OpinionWorks President and the author of the poll. “Though economic hardship is widespread, the impact on Marylanders goes far beyond the economy. People describe a level of stress and sadness over the unknowns of this pandemic, the loss of precious time with parents or grandchildren, and the postponement or cancellation of lifetime milestones like retirement or graduation,” he said. These are the highlights of the survey:
In an open-ended question, survey participants were asked, “Is this crisis impacting any major decisions in your life, whether those are career plans, personal plans, or intentions to pursue additional education? If yes, please describe the impact on your plans.” Two-thirds (66%) of Maryland residents described experiencing that kind of a major impact. Inability to travel is the most common impact people mention, but there are many other significant impacts, detailed in the attached survey questionnaire. “Reading their comments, one gets a sense of the emotional toll people are feeling, and the severe impact on the course of people’s lives,” Raabe said. “For many people, it could be years before they are able to move beyond this, and for some people, the losses may never be recovered.” The full questionnaire and cross-tabs are attached below, including the open-ended comments that people offered. ##### |
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