NEW YORK, April 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Horizon Media, a leader in delivering data-driven business outcomes for some of the most innovative and ambitious brands, announced today the most recent results of its National Social Isolation Barometer that began on March 26, 2020. Horizon is fielding the ongoing study in partnership with Toluna, a global technology company connecting brands with consumers for digital qualitative and quantitative research.
Horizon Media’s National Social Isolation Barometer is designed to measure the feelings of isolation among Americans during the stay-at-home orders to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Each day 1,000 people are interviewed; to date over 25,000 interviews have been completed. In week 4 of our analysis, Americans continue to feel more constrained, but levels of isolation seem to be stabilizing. We also take a deep dive into the impact of politics and regions on feelings of social isolation.
This is the fourth week of survey results and these findings examine people’s changing perception of freedom as some States start to reopen their economies and communities. The study focused on feelings of freedom among people with different political affiliations as well as looking at the blue state/red state dynamic and the current call to ‘liberate’ states.
This week’s findings are that Americans are feeling more restricted due to shifts in group sentiment, but the rise in feelings of isolation seem to have slowed as people adjust. These feelings of freedom are directly affected by political alignment and geographic location, and the study also found that ongoing political messaging can rapidly and pointedly affect large scale change in the feelings of restriction.
Although feelings of restriction continue to build, respondents’ feelings of isolation seem to have plateaued. As the days have worn on, and political groups began to protest the shutdown, feelings of restriction that had crept upward (3%) week over week have now slowed and begun to flatten.
Individuals who identify as Democrats, and those who live in states with Democratic leadership, feel more restricted than their Republican counterparts. This likely has to do with a multitude of factors, such as Democratic states having high levels of business restrictions and messaging, and the fact that Democrats are more likely to be in highly concentrated cities more vulnerable to the virus. However, these perceptions of freedom shift based on political leanings. We’re also seeing a shift as political parties entrench themselves in polarized opinions around whether or not to reopen the country and people are aligning with those narratives.
Republicans are overall more likely to feel completely restricted (24% increase over the past week). After early, more stringent lockdowns in Democratic states drove feelings of restrictions among Democrats (up 30%) vs. Republicans (down 15%), as of this week we see Democrats actually trending in the opposite direction and report feeling slightly more freedom during the same period.
The timing of this shift raises an interesting causal consideration. Is this change being driven by an exasperated and anxious populous committed to classic American ideals of independence and freedom? Is it driven by disproportionate and sensationalized media coverage? Is it driven by political agendas and politically affiliated organizations?
As we compare Red and Blue states, Red states report feeling more restricted in their ability to lead a normal life (2X more likely) and conversely residents of Blue states report slightly more freedom in their daily life. However, even as calls to reopen begin to target traditionally Blue areas, we begin to see similar increases in feelings of restriction.
Prior to the President’s tweets and protests to reopen the economy, Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia were in line with other Blue states regarding perceptions of their level of personal freedom vs. restriction. Following the tweets, there was a noticeable departure and these calls to liberate have led to greater perception of restriction.
While Blue states overall indicated increasing perceptions of freedom, over the same period the three “Liberate” states show a sudden increase in feelings of restriction. The suddenness of the change illustrates how quickly perceptions can evolve when tapping into an emotion as fundamental as an American’s feeling of freedom.
The changes in perception are also reflected in changes in social conversation in those states. In all three states, the conversation about “reopening” jumped significantly. These changes reflect the influence that social media can have in driving the momentum for “reopening” even in states where there was limited “reopening” sentiment prior to the ‘liberate’ tweets. Horizon Media continues to monitor changes in sentiment as more states, particularly in the south, move toward implementing “reopening” plans.
Horizon has made the full study available upon request.
About Horizon Media
Horizon Media, Inc. is a leader in delivering data-driven business outcomes for some of the most innovative and ambitious brands. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York, and has offices in Los Angeles and Toronto. With estimated billings of $9 billion and over 2,300 employees, Horizon is the third largest U.S. media agency according to COMvergence data.
Recognized as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company, Horizon Media has been named Media Agency of the Year by MediaPost, Adweek and AdAge and is known for its highly personal approach to client service. Renowned for its culture, Horizon is also consistently named to all the prestigious annual Best Places to Work lists published by Fortune, Forbes, AdAge, Crain’s New York Business and Los Angeles Business Journal; including “Best Workplaces for Diversity,” “Best Workplaces for Women,” and “Best Workplaces for Millennials” honors.
Earning the industry’s highest honor, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder of Horizon Media, was inducted into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Fame in 2019.
About Toluna
Toluna is a technology company connecting brands with consumers for digital qualitative and quantitative research. We deliver insights on demand through a full spectrum of end-to-end solutions that map customer journeys, develop new products and much more. Toluna is powered by an innovative platform, best-in-class methodologies and a community panel that is 30+ million members strong. An ITWP company, we employ 1,400 people in 24 offices across six continents. Please visit us at tolunacorporate.com.
For further information please contact
Horizon Media
Stephen Hall
shall@horizonmedia.com