Social Security client and experience panels research: effects of the coronavirus pandemic on communication preferences – visual summary

Change in communication preferences during and after the pandemic

Around a quarter (23 per cent) of survey respondents said that their preferred way to get in touch would be different during the pandemic.

Compared to before the pandemic, a fifth of respondents (20 per cent) said their preferences would change once COVID-19 was no longer a serious risk to public health.

Older respondents and respondents with a long-term health condition or disability were more likely to say their preferences would change during or after the pandemic.

Some said they would prefer more online communication.

Some said this was because they now felt more confident communicating online. Others said they now appreciated the convenience and effectiveness of online methods.

“I have become more comfortable with online web-chat and video calls.” (survey respondent)

“The internet has been shown that it is extremely useful as meetings have taken place via Zoom for example and as such people did not need to travel.” (interview participant)

Some participants said options for communication should continue to take into account that not everyone has access to the internet at home.

“Everything has to be done online. What if you can't afford internet access or don't own a smartphone? People in the area I live in are struggling to eat so internet access isn't a priority and their only other way to access the internet is through the library services and they're all closed.” (survey respondent)