3 Things to Know: Americans Support a 4-Day Workweek, 1 in 4 Report Not Seeing a Doctor Due to High Costs

CivicScience continually tracks current and anticipated consumer trends. Here are three key insights marketers should know this week:

1. Americans are largely favorable to a four-day workweek.

The pandemic undoubtedly changed the dynamics of the traditional workweek, from work-from-home job opportunities to more flexible hours. More recently, the concept of a four-day/32-hour week has been picking up interest. Following a six-month-long trial in the UK, more than 90% of participating companies adopted a four-day workweek due to reported improvements. 

Gauging interest among Americans, the latest CivicScience polling shows that a majority of Americans would support replacing the 40-hour/5-day workweek with a 32-hour/4-day workweek as the standard in the U.S. (59% say they at least ‘somewhat support’ it). Four-in-ten respondents report that they ‘strongly support’ a shortened week, and an even smaller percentage ‘strongly oppose’ it (13%).

However, differences in opinion exist among different types of employees, such as full-time and part-time workers, or remote and in-person workers. (Details available in the full weekly report available to clients – learn more). 

2. Rising medical prices cause affordability concerns for many Americans.

Experts warn consumers that medical costs will likely increase this year as hospitals try to combat last year’s losses by raising their rates. Even at current prices, CivicScience data show that one-quarter of consumers reported not seeing a doctor because of cost. That percentage jumps to 67% among those without health insurance. 

Looking at the year ahead, 57% of U.S. adults report being at least ‘somewhat concerned’ about their ability to afford their medical / healthcare expenses over the next 12 months, with concerns the strongest among those without health insurance and households that make less than $50K a year.

3. Price sensitivity improved last week.

According to the latest CivicScience data, the percentage of consumers reporting they’ve become ‘more price sensitive’ over the past 12 months dropped seven percentage points last week after rising over the last month. The percentage who answered ‘less price sensitive’ saw a corresponding increase of three percentage points.

In other findings (available in our full report), the percentage of consumers who expect their income to improve over the next six months increased last week after four weeks of decline. Want to see the full report? Let’s chat.