More Than Two-Thirds of Americans Are Worried About Losing Their Job as a Result of COVID-19; Workers of All Education Levels Feel Impact

Strada Center for Consumer Insights weekly survey finds significant increases in Americans losing income and worried about their economic livelihood
April 9, 2020

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INDIANAPOLIS — Strada Education Network, a national social impact organization dedicated to forging pathways between education and employment, has released new data from its weekly, nationally representative survey of Americans on COVID-19’s impact on their work and education.

“Seventy percent of Americans now worry that they may lose their jobs, an increase of 13 percentage points over a week’s time,” said Dave Clayton, Senior Vice President at the Strada Center for Consumer Insights. “Degrees and credentials have not insulated Americans when it comes to lost work or worries about losing work. While it’s still early to make any conclusions, we’re closely tracking the concerns–and the needs–of Americans, to help inform our collective work finding a path forward.”

The Public Viewpoint: COVID-19 Work and Education Survey key findings include:

  • 61% of Americans have either lost their jobs or had their hours or income reduced, up from 46% last week.
  • 70% of Americans are worried that they will lose their jobs as a result of COVID-19, up from 57% last week.
  • A third (34%) believe they will need additional education to secure a comparable job if they lose their current employment. Among this group who believe they would need more education:
    • 64% express a desire to change career fields;
    • 66% are confident they know where to find the education or training they would need; and
    • 54% prefer online opportunities to other paths (26% in-person college or university, 21% on the job).

The Public Viewpoint is produced by Strada Education Network’s Center for Consumer Insights, a research team that studies the experiences and perceptions of American adults in order to inform the development of a more consumer-centered learning ecosystem. The Center for Consumer Insights provides the nation’s only education consumer database, which includes more than 350,000 completed surveys about the education and work experiences of American adults.

View the full findings at: https://www.stradaeducation.org/publicviewpoint/.

About Strada Education Network
Strada Education Network is a national social impact organization dedicated to improving lives by forging clearer and more purposeful pathways between education and employment. The Network engages partners across education, nonprofits, business, and government to focus relentlessly on students’ success throughout all phases of their working lives. Together, we address critical college to career challenges through strategic philanthropy, research and insights, and mission-aligned affiliates. Learn more at stradaeducation.org.