HollywoodLife Readers Reveal Fears About COVID-19 & How Pandemic Has Upended Their Lives

Two months after asking HollywoodLife readers how the pandemic has affected them, the results are in — and the answers are incredibly enlightening about the impact of COVID-19 on our lives.

In August, we asked our HollywoodLife readers how the coronavirus pandemic was affecting their lives through a comprehensive survey. Two months later, the pandemic is still raging in the United States, and around the world. After spending the better part of a year social distancing, wearing protective face masks, practicing healthy hygiene, and working and attending classes from home, things haven’t changed — and don’t seem like they will anytime soon.

As of October 21, an estimated 40.9 million people have tested positive for COVID-19, and 1.13 million patients have died from the disease. The United States still has the highest case rate in the world, with 8.32 million Americans testing positive, and 221,000 have died from coronavirus. The results from our pandemic survey are now in, and your answers are enlightening. Our survey takers were 90% female, and 64% reported being between the ages of ages 18 to 54 years old. Here’s what we found out about how your lives have changed in 2020:

Changes in the Workplace

While, thankfully, only 10% of respondents said that they had lost their job or were furloughed due to the pandemic, the situation has definitely affected their work. Twenty-six percent of respondents have had their income affected, whether its their work hours being reduced, pay cuts, or furloughs. The survey found that 51% of respondents now work remote full-time or part-time, and 31% are still on site, albeit in protective gear. An alarming 12% of respondents are working on site without protection.

Working remote has its challenges, as well. Thirty-six percent of respondents feel like they always need to be “on,” and 40% feel like there’s no division between work and home anymore. Working at home seems to be a double-edged sword, as 31% of respondents are working more hours — but 31% feel like they’re getting more work done at home than they would at the office. Despite the obstacles, 51% of survey respondents say that they’re “grateful” to be working from home amidst the pandemic.

Fears About Returning to Work, School & Night Life

While some in the United States are acting as if the pandemic is over, it’s clear that HollywoodLife readers are still concerned, to the point that 70% of respondents fear going back to work on site. While 40% say their companies are still weighing options about when employees will go back to work, just 20% say that their employers have given the okay to work from home longterm. That’s a problem after seeing that 83% of respondents still fear using mass transportation, which many people rely upon to get to the office. Out of survey takers who identified as students, 75% fear going back to in-person school after seeing outbreaks on campuses across the United States.

Fear of contracting COVID-19 extends to their personal lives, as well. While HollywoodLife readers used to enjoy nights out, the dangers of coronavirus have them overwhelmingly avoiding live events (82%), movie theaters (78%), restaurants and bars (72%). Almost half of respondents fear that the virus may have negative, longterm impact on our lives. The United States economy is currently in the worst shape since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It seems that without coronavirus relief and effective treatments, the economy will continue to suffer.

A Craving For Celebrity & Entertainment News

Despite the turmoil that’s characterized 2020, it appears that HollywoodLife readers are still very much interested in reading about entertainment and celebrities, though. Over two-thirds of survey respondents reported that they’re, unsurprisingly, watching a lot more TV while stuck at home during the pandemic. And nearly half are still craving celebrity news, even if it looks a little different than it did pre-COVID. While there’s no red carpet fashion to ogle (and 23% really miss that), some respondents are inspired by seeing celebrities out and about wearing face masks and following social distancing guidelines. Sure, that means more photos of celebrities taking walks around their neighborhood (relatable, 45% of respondents are doing that, too), but it’s lovely escapism nonetheless.

What Readers are Desperately Looking Forward To 

The survey respondents are still terrified about the impact of the virus in general after months of being separated from their loved ones and possibly seeing friends, family members, and neighbors suffer from the brutal illness. Sixty-six percent of respondents fear that life won’t be back to pre-COVID conditions within six months, with 60% fearing there won’t be a vaccine or cure in that same timeframe.

What survey respondents missed the most was broken down as such: sixty-seven percent were desperate to see their friends and family again with no restrictions, while 45% were very much looking forward to dining in restaurants and drinking at bars. But, most of all, 71% were just looking forward to life going back to normal — or whatever “normal” may be for us post-pandemic.