From Our President: We're Informed by Your Lives

The passage of time has become a curious thing over the past year as we have dealt with a pandemic and its aftershocks. Some days seem to last for a week, and then a season passes as quickly as an afternoon. Like you, I am ready to spend more time outside and return to doing more normal things safely. This is also a time for us to reflect on what we have learned along the way.

At CR we have been tracking how consumers’ lives have been affected over this past year. We began tracking U.S. adults’ concerns about the pandemic in March 2020, surveying as many as 2,500 people each month on whether they were experiencing food shortages; still using public transportation; planning to head back to movie theaters, restaurants, and gyms; and more.

CR also tracked the specific economic repercussions consumers experienced. The takeaway is that there was a stark divide. In March 2021, about a quarter of Americans reported saving more money than they were losing. But we saw from the beginning how concerned Americans at the lower end of the economic ladder were about how the pandemic would affect their lives—and there has indeed been a disproportionate negative financial impact, in jobs and income lost, for the most vulnerable among us.

We do this rigorous research because CR is at its strongest when we hear directly from you—and when we learn what you need when it comes to information and support. We recently found, through our research, that 75 percent of consumers think they’ll keep at least some of the changes they made to their lives during the COVID-19 outbreak. That could include an at-home exercise routine, getting groceries delivered, and even continuing to wear masks sometimes.

We learned some things about ourselves, like our ability to adapt to change, and the importance of looking out for one another. While recovering from the loss and stress of the past year will take time, it’s good to know that you are looking—as we are—to the future.