2020: The Year it All Changed, Or Just a Blip?

Is the pandemic a blip on the radar? Or will it have long-term lasting effects on the way we live? At a time when we can’t seem to agree on anything, it’s no surprise that we’re divided on predictions of how it will all pan out.

Half of Americans think our lives will change in major ways and half think things will return to normal, according to Pew Research Center. Race, age, political affiliation, income, gender, and where we live changes our belief in whether or not life will be different for us after the pandemic:

• 57% of younger adults, age 18 to 29 say it will, compared to 51% of those ages 30 to 49, half of those ages 50 to 64 and 47% of those 65 and older.
• 64% of Black Americans say it will, compared to 56% of Asian adults, 53% of Hispanic adults and 48% of White adults.
• 54% of women versus 47% of men think it will be different
• 60% of Democrats compared with 40% of Republicans think it will be different
• 53% of lower-income, compared to 51% of middle-income, and 46% of higher-income adults think it will be different
• 56% of people who live in urban areas, compared with 51% of people who live in the suburbs and 46% of people living in rural areas

Those who have already been affected by Covid are more likely to think the pandemic will change their life for good. For example, of those who have lost a job because of the outbreak, 59% say their lives will remain changed compared to 50% of those who have not.

For those who know someone who has had or died due to Covid, 57% say life after the pandemic will be different, compared to 48% of those who don’t know anyone. And those who live in counties with a higher number of deaths from coronavirus, are more likely to believe life after the virus will be different.

The survey didn’t ask respondents to get into how they thought the world would change. That is up to everybody else. Everyone from the AARP to the International Monetary Fund are attempting to predict what happens next. But time will only tell.

What do you think? Will things change for good? Only for some people? In what ways?

Originally published at https://catherinelanser.com on October 8, 2020.