As states start moving to a broader reopening of businesses and public activities, one of the big questions is to what degree citizens will feel comfortable venturing out.
Across the U.S., it seems that people are approaching the easing of restrictions with caution. For example, at the end of May when Massachusetts’ workplaces opened to 25% capacity, the Boston Globe reported that almost no one showed up to work. Similarly, an article in The Hour in May stated that tourists and residents were hesitant to return to a reopened New Orleans.
And while CNBC reported in mid-May that U.S. airlines were seeing a moderate uptick in airline bookings, it also stated that a full recovery appears distant.
What to do and when to do it comes down to a personal choice. So, how exactly are engineers approaching the new normal?
With caution. That’s according to a recent survey by FierceElectronics conducted in May 2020. Some 500 respondents were asked how likely they were to participate in certain activities this year in light of the pandemic.
A new survey by FierceElectronics on the impact of COVID-19 shows that engineers are proceeding with caution.
Of the activities listed in the survey, engineers reported the strongest likelihood that they will “travel domestically” this year. That may be so, but only approximately one third (35.2%) said that they were likely, very likely, or extremely likely to hop on a plane to travel within the U.S. in 2020.
Far fewer expect to travel internationally, with just 12.7% indicating that they are likely or extremely likely to do so head overseas this year.
Large gatherings also aren’t on most engineers’ agenda for 2020, with only15.2% likely to attend a trade show and 21.4% reporting it's likely they will attend a work conference.
On the flip side, nearly one third of engineers (31.1%) say that they are likely to extremely likely to go to a social event.
And getting back to social activities may just may be what they are craving most in this time of enforced isolation. As one respondent put it: “Distancing [is the biggest challenge]. We are a very social society."
RELATED: COVID-19: Engineers still on the job cope with ripple effect