Boomers differ from younger adults in views and impacts of COVID-19

Posted on October 28, 2020 0

When it comes to financial impacts of COVID-19, Millennials are hurting the most and Baby Boomers are feeling the least pain. As for fighting the virus, boomers are bummed by lockdowns but are more into eventually taking a vaccine than younger adults.

Those are among the results of a survey by healthinsurance.com, a clearinghouse of information about insurance carriers. Nationwide, a combined 1,595 Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers between the ages of 24 and 74 were polled about their perspectives on everything from healthcare and the economy to technology and social media during the pandemic.

Fifty-one percent of everyone said they have experienced financial insecurity due to COVID-19. Sixty percent of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) were most impacted, including putting off medical care because of cost. Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) were the least impacted, with only 37 percent reporting financial hardships. Across the three generations, 30 percent know someone who has lost their health insurance during the pandemic, and 82 percent think the U.S. healthcare system is broken.

While 87 percent of all survey participants are comfortable having their temperature checked before walking into an establishment, only 4 percent feel it’s an effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while 40 percent think masks are the most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus. Millennials and Gen Xers (the latter born between 1965 and 1980) think social distancing and lockdowns are almost equally as effective, a view shared by only 12 percent of boomers.

The survey also revealed:

  • 71 percent of all respondents find themselves on the computer or phone more often since the pandemic started, which may be why 39 percent say they need a digital detox.
  • Facebook is still king of the social media when it comes staying connected digitally, especially for boomers—75 percent of whom use it. Sixty percent of all generations sayi they use Facebook the most, followed by Instagram at 19 percent and Twitter at 11 percent.