Poll: Most remote workers say they'd like to continue working from home
A man sits at home in the garden and works on his laptop. Photo: Silas Stein/dpa (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
According to a new poll by the Pew Research Center, 59% of American workers say they are still working from home much or all of the time.
The number is less than the 71% of workers who said they were working remotely in October 2020, but still far above the 23% of workers who said they did so before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Among workers who have a workplace outside of their home, 61% say they are choosing not to go in, while 38% said they are working from home because their workplace remains closed or is unavailable to them. Earlier in the pandemic, the opposite was true, with 64% of workers saying they were working from home because their office was closed, and 36% choosing to work from home.
Researchers found that 60% of workers with jobs that can be done from home said that when the pandemic ends, if they have the choice, they'd like to work from home all or most of the time, up from 54% in 2020. Among those who are currently working from home all or most of the time, 78% said they'd like to continue to do so after the pandemic, up from 64% in 2020.
Concerns about the coronavirus are becoming less and less of a reason for people not wanting to return to the office, with just 42% of respondents citing fear of COVID exposure as a reason, down from 57% in 2020.
The biggest reason workers say they do not wish to return to the office is that they prefer working from home, with 76% of respondents saying they prefer their home workplaces, a major increase from just 60% in 2020.
And why do workers prefer working from home? Reasons vary.
17% of respondents said the fact that they have relocated was a main reason for not going to the office, while 32% of respondents cited a lack of child care, while 15% said there are restrictions on their access to their workplace.
For people who rarely, if ever worked from home prior to the pandemic and are choosing to do so now, 64% said working from home has improved their work-life balance. 44% said remote work has made it easier for them to get work done and meet deadlines.
However, 60% of respondents said remote work made them feel less connecting to their colleagues.
To see other findings, you can view the full report here.
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