During the pandemic, employees suddenly working from home accelerated their use of videoconferencing, home computers, and other connected devices. Similarly, those not employed outside the home sought ways to stay connected with others or help their students continue their education. Communication activities ranging from videoconferencing to video calls, email, group chats, and text messaging are at the heart of these connections. Market adoption has not been assured nor evenly distributed, as only some segments adopted behaviors they continued. Meanwhile, other segments dallied with new communication methods and then returned to their old ways.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: communication activities by device type, communication activities among those working from home, devices used for work-related communication, and top communication activities.
Profile of Americans who bought a home PC during the pandemic
The pandemic brought with it a lot of changes to how Americans live and work. Many had to adjust to working from home for the first time, and this often meant a new need for tech—especially home PCs. 56.4 million Americans—26% of all online American adults—bought a home PC during the pandemic. This MetaFAQs profiles those who bought a home PC during the pandemic by several critical demographic and behavioral factors distinctive from the average American online adult: age and gender; employment status; presence of children; household size; life stage (age, employment status, presence of children); number of home PCs; work from home status (current, expected, and before the pandemic); and
brand of home PC. Report [TUP_doc_2022_0506_pand] in TUP Lenses: Work/Life Balance, PCs.
Profile of Active American Siri or HomePod users
Apple’s Siri is enjoying steady progress where other voice assistants have not. A third or more of younger Americans – male and female – are active users. Working parents are also being listened to, if not by their children, then at least by Siri. This MetaFAQs report profiles active users of Apple Siri or who have HomePods by a range of distinctive characteristics: age group, employment status, life stage, technology ecosystems, and others.
Digital health usage among Americans
Digital technology has empowered people worldwide to be more involved with and aware of their health, with a growing and rich collection of devices and information sources. However, has supply outpaced the demand? This TUPdate reports on the active usage of critical health devices and health-oriented activities. It details the number of online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Germany who track their steps using a smartphone, uses a smartwatch or fitness tracker, or regularly search for health information online.
Platforms for employees using professional creative software for work purposes
Employees have a wide range of devices they regularly use for many work-related activities. Professional creative software is often the most demanding. However, the response to the pandemic has led to many employees working from home and using different devices than they typically use.
This MetaFAQs reports on the number of US, Germany, UK, and Japanese employees who regularly use professional creative software. It details how many use it on their primary computer, home computer, work computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Profile of Americans expecting to be working from home in one year
The COVID pandemic continues to change many lives, including those working from home as never before. As employers are adapting to shifting conditions, some have brought employees back to the workplace while others are still adapting. This MetaFAQs reports on the expectations by employees about whether or not they expect to be working from home in one year. The brief report is based on 2,681 employed Americans who are currently working from home at least occasionally, profiling them by their age and gender, employment status, educational attainment, and other characteristics.
Seeking health information online
Online adults regularly use connected devices to look up information from news and sports results to health information such as COVID dashboards and remedies. Searching for health information online is a regular activity among nearly half of online adults in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan, and it has shifted since 2017.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults in the countries surveyed who regularly seek health information online and further details them by age group.
Wearing a smartwatch or fitness tracker
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are about more than athletic pursuits and telling the time. Market penetration has grown, and adoption has expanded beyond the earliest wearables users. The US has higher market penetration than the UK or Germany, and Japan has less than the other three.
This MetaFAQs reports on the percentage of online adults in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan that regularly use a smartwatch or fitness tracker, further split by age group in each country.
Devices used for work phone calls
Employees have more ways than ever before to communicate with each other and with customers – email, text, and platforms like Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. However, work-related voice phone calls remain a solid staple among the majority of employees. Nearly 60% of American and almost half of Japanese employees regularly use one of their connected devices to make or receive work-related phone calls. This MetaFAQs reports on the number of employees regularly using their connected devices for work-related phone calls, detailing each device type used – smartphone, home PC, work PC, or tablet – by the size of their employer: <20 employees, 20-499 employees, or 500+ employees.
Technology of single American parents
During the pandemic, parents without a spouse or partner have faced extra stresses, as they deal with school closures, childcare being less available, and other similar challenges. This TUPdate investigates this socially disadvantaged group to report on their current use of technology products and services – penetration by device type, hours of usage, number of devices, and work-from-home status.