OAPA September 2020 Membership Survey Results

October 6, 2020

OAPA conducted a short COVID-19 focused survey in September. This was a follow-up survey to one conducted in April 2020, during the early stages of the pandemic. While fewer members completed the survey in September versus April, the response rate was still good, as was geographic, gender, and diversity representation. The survey results were presented to the OAPA Board on October 2 and are helpful to committee chairs when developing work plans for OAPA activities. Thank you to all those who completed the survey!

HIGHLIGHTS ON MEMBER EXPERIENCES DURING COVID-19

• 62% of respondents say they are still working primarily from home. This is down from over 80% in April.
• Very few respondents report that they have been laid off or furloughed. This number was very low in April as well at around 2%.
• The rest of the responses around changes in work responsibilities and challenges of work/non-work challenges are remarkably consistent with those received in April. Many OAPA members are clearly juggling new responsibilities both at work and home. Less than 5% of respondents say their work routines have not changed since COVID-19.

GUIDANCE FOR OAPA OFFERINGS

• There is noticeably less interest in attending in-person events in the September versus April results: 
  • In April, 28% of respondents said they’d be interested in attending in-person large events once restrictions were lifted, and an additional 20% said they’d attend small events in person. Only 40% said they were waiting for a vaccine before attending in-person events. 
  • In September, only 3% indicated a willingness to attend large in-person events in the near future, while over 60% said they will be waiting for a vaccine. 
• Respondents continue to indicate strong interest in participating in online webinars, online trainings, and virtual conferences.  There was less interest in online book groups or happy hours, but still over 25% said they’d consider participating in these activities if offered.
• Topics respondents say they are interested in OAPA covering haven’t changed much since April, with techniques and tools for managing work and engagement remotely, as well as incorporating pandemic response into planning activities garnering the highest interest levels. The interest in information specifically about planning responses to COVID-19 has decreased over the past 6 months with less than 40% of respondents (55% in April) selecting that option.