How Virtual Do We Want Our Future to Be?

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the lives and behavior of people across the globe. We have had to adapt to different ways of shopping, learning, socializing, working, celebrating, doing business, and much more.

This report, prepared and commissioned by Zoom, based on survey data and findings provided by Qualtrics Research, focuses on the impact that video communications have had on our day-to-day lives. We explored a variety of use cases for video communications and how they were used and perceived in ten different countries that spanned the globe. The survey results acknowledge the extraordinary challenges the world has faced and how video communications have helped maintain some semblance of normalcy and continuity of life’s important activities.

Although there’s been a high level of appreciation for this alternative to “in-person” living, over one year into this shift, we’re now wondering - what’s next? How much of this virtual life will we want to keep beyond the pandemic?

This report seeks to capture the current sentiment toward video communications from the perspective of everyday folks - employees, parents, students, teachers, consumers, and everyone in between.

• A large majority of those surveyed believe that even after COVID-19 concerns subside, video communications are here to stay.
• Celebrations, business, and education were the activities survey respondents most frequently transitioned from in-person to virtual.
• A large majority of respondents indicated that video communications were valuable for staving off feelings of loneliness and isolation.
• A majority of respondents believe that working in a hybrid environment will allow employees to fit work around their life - and they welcome that change.
• Very few respondents think activities will be virtual-only forever. But the majority felt that our lives will include a balance of in-person and virtual components for most activities in the future.

For meetings, education, receiving medical care and information, celebrating special occasions, conducting business, and much more, we’ve really needed video communications this past year. Our survey results indicate that video conferencing was widely used for celebrations and healthcare/telehealth. But there was also broad use of video communications for music and entertainment, socializing, birthdays, holidays, conferences and events, and to keep ourselves fit and calm. By April 2020, the number of daily meeting participants on Zoom topped 300 million.

To understand the range of sentiment regarding how video communications was perceived by a cross-section of people around the world, sentiment statements were given to all respondents. They were asked if they agreed or disagreed with a particular statement. An example of this would be: Video communications can help to combat loneliness. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?

Since the very beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic, people around the globe who had never before been exposed to any kind of video communication experience, started to learn how to use video conferencing, mostly out of necessity. A majority of people surveyed not only use video conferencing frequently, but participate in regular video classes, holiday gatherings, doctor appointments, and work meetings without batting an eyelash. It’s not surprising that so many people can now imagine some level of virtual communication being a part of their lives moving forward.

2. Video communications can help combat loneliness

This statement garnered the highest level of agreement among respondents, with about 4 out of 5 of those surveyed agreeing that video communications offered them a level of connection to help fight feelings of isolation.

The following chart indicates the percentage of respondents who agreed that video communications can help combat loneliness:

When asked if they agree or disagree with this statement, more than three-quarters of respondents believe that video communication offers everyone an opportunity to participate.

Being part of a meeting for any reason or occasion, gives people a sense of being included. Family and friends can join in a birthday celebration, and co-workers from different offices or on separate teams can participate at the same time and in the same virtual space without having to spend time and money on travel. Zoom accommodates up to 1,000 participants in a Zoom Meeting, with each person having the ability to speak and be seen by the entire group. That is, no doubt, a big factor for the respondents who agreed that video communication gives everyone the opportunity to engage in a meeting.

The following chart indicates the percentage of respondents who agreed that video calling gives everyone an opportunity to participate:

COVID-19 hindered our ability to stay connected with friends and family. Although we weren’t able to bump into someone on the street, hang out at a friend’s house or a coffee shop, go to a backyard barbecue, or join a discussion at the water cooler, video communications offered us a way to continue to nurture our social, family, and work connections. Regular video gatherings, virtual cocktail hours, birthday celebrations, not to mention our virtual business connections, were critical to maintaining our relationships during the pandemic.

The following chart indicates the percentage of respondents who agreed that virtual and remote activities make them feel more connected with others:

When asked if they agree or disagree with this statement, most respondents believed that virtual and remote activities improve emotional well-being. The connection that people feel by participating in a video call, not only helps stave off feelings of loneliness (as shown above in Sentiment Statement 1), but also positively influences our general feeling of emotional well-being.

The following chart indicates the percentage of respondents who agreed that virtual and remote activities help improve emotional health:

Given the extraordinary rise in video usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is natural to wonder if and how the level of video consumption will change when it’s safe enough to fully resume in-person gatherings and activities. Will we still want to use video conferencing? For what purposes and to what degree?

Our survey tried to capture which video use cases have been most important to you during the course of pandemic lockdowns, how video communication has helped us get through this challenging time, and how we all plan to leverage video going forward.

The study indicates that very few respondents see activities being only virtual in the future, and slightly more respondents desired an in-person-only future. The majority feel that they will have a balance of in-person and virtual activities.

Here’s a snapshot of how people across the world view the role of video communications in their daily lives now and going forward.

* Note: Due to rounding, total percentages may not always equal 100%

We asked all 7,689 people across 10 countries about their current preference: If given the choice, would you prefer to do the following in-person or virtually?

For those who responded that they had used video for certain activities in the past 6 months, we asked how much they planned to continue using video for those same activities beyond the pandemic. Here’s a deeper dive into their responses.

The results of this research strongly suggest that video communications will play a significant role in our lives going forward. Perhaps the really interesting part of all this, however, is what happens next. What are businesses large and small doing to meet their customers - and potential customers - where they want to be?

The technology that we’ve trusted to keep us connected personally and professionally through the pandemic is more than simply “pandemic technology.” Reliable video communications like Zoom are a way of life.

Virtual conferences can accommodate exponentially more people than those that only offer in-person attendance. Telehealth options save time, expand access, and increase care equity. And a sea change is already underway for educational institutions, especially colleges and universities looking to expand curricula and reach new students.

Whether patients, employees, students, consumers, and humans, we’ve globally tasted the power and convenience of video and demand the option. Business leaders who can’t deliver on that option will get left behind.

Zoom’s intuitive, scalable, and secure platform set the standard for innovation by starting with video as its foundation, and our communications solutions are today’s choice for large enterprises, small businesses, and individuals alike. Contact us to learn how the comprehensive Zoom platform can future-proof your organization with reliable video, chat, and phone services.

Qualtrics Research was commissioned by Zoom to conduct research that examined respondents’ sentiments towards video communications (VC). The intent was to identify the most positive aspects of holding certain activities virtually and determine in which activities people expect to continue participating via video communications.

Respondents from 10 different countries were surveyed online with the purpose of understanding how consumers intend to leverage video communications in a post-COVID-19 era.

The survey sampled people using the following criteria: respondent could not work in Journalism/PR, Marketing, or Technology & Software; respondent had to have used video communications during the past month; respondent needed to be aware of and used at least one of the video communications platforms asked; respondent must have used VC for at least one of the activities asked. The survey took place between March 15 and March 26, 2021.

There were 7,689 total respondents, with 1,021 from the U.S., 1,033 from the U.K., 1,012 from Germany, 1,011 from Japan, 1,007 from India, 525 from France, 530 from Brazil, 522 from Mexico, 516 from Australia, and 512 from Singapore.