The Outbreak Of COVID-19 Is Impacting Online Surveys

The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a rapidly evolving situation, and it is having an impact on all aspects of our lives. This includes the way we conduct online surveys. COVID-19 is impacting online surveys in a number of ways. First, response rates are likely to decrease as people become less willing to participate in surveys. Additionally, the types of surveys that people are willing to participate in may change, as people become more concerned with health and safety. Finally, the data collected in online surveys may be less reliable as people are less likely to give accurate information in a time of crisis.

Due to travel restrictions and widespread panic, many people are now working from home. This has led to a decrease in the number of people who are available to participate in surveys. In addition, businesses that rely on online surveys for customer feedback are struggling to obtain accurate and up-to-date information. This means that there are fewer people available to participate in online surveys. Additionally, people's priorities have shifted, and they may not be as interested in participating in surveys as they were before.

Despite these challenges, online surveys remain a valuable tool for collecting data. By understanding the impact of COVID-19 on online surveys, survey designers can make necessary adjustments to ensure that the data collected is of high quality. They provide a way to collect data from a large number of people quickly and efficiently. With the right precautions in place, online surveys can continue to be a valuable tool for research during the coronavirus outbreak.

If you are planning to conduct an online survey, it is important to be aware of these trends and to adjust your expectations accordingly. You may need to increase the number of invitations. The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. As the virus continues to spread, many businesses are feeling the effects.

The Impact Of The Pandemic On Firms

Although half of the firms maintained their operations and overall stability, many experienced a halt in operations or faced closure for various reasons such as shortages of materials and stock. Firms are suffering from at least one of the following pressures: employees’ salary and social insurance, rent, loss of orders, payment of accounts payable, and loan repayment. For firms with fewer than 50 employees, rent payments seem to be the key pact. Most firms barely maintained production, facing a shortage of materials or lack of supply. A total of 22.9% of firms had orders from domestic customers cancelled, and 63.9% had overseas customers who cancelled orders or failed to send supplies on time.

How Firms Responded To The Crisis

Firms recognized the problems and devoted more efforts to R&D and innovation. However, the epidemic has delayed the launch of new products as well as the progress of projects in cooperation with other institutions, especially for the IT industry.

Many firms have faced higher labor costs, which have forced them to consider reducing the number of employees, cutting wages, and postponing recruitment until the effects of the pandemic are over. Manufacturing has been facing a higher proportion of employment difficulties, and the real estate industry has been shedding the jobs.

Both IT and Manufacturing industries have also sought out loans as well as funding from shareholders. A high percentage of firms have already moved their operations to online or plan to do so. Likewise, many firms have already started working remotely and digital operations or plan to do so.

The Expectations Of Firms

A high percentage of firms believe that they will experience financial losses this year, while a lower percentage think they will be able to make a profit. However, firms with more than 1000 employees appear to be in a relatively good position to survive, and some believe that they will certainly make a profit and have sufficient cash flows.

More firms expected their local town to experience a decrease in GDP than those who thought that GDP will remain unchanged or even increase.

Most firms felt that the government needs reduce, exempt, or postpone social insurance, value added tax, income tax and other taxes. More than half of the firms expect that the government to stimulate consumption. They also need subsidies, for example, for rent, utilities, and post stabilization some firms expect to make a staged flexible salary. Smaller firms need more cash subsidies, while larger firms tend to get policies of extending loan repayment terms and debt forgiveness.

The Impact Of The Pandemic On Firms

Given the pandemic, returning to work was not the same as reaching production capacity. In fact, almost half of the firms were facing material shortages, some of them even said that they had run out of supplies. In response regarding operational pressures, our survey revealed that firms were facing employment and costs. In addition, 22.9% of firms had had orders cancelled from domestic customers. Many firms responded that the market expansion was also affected, due to the impossibility of site visiting and face-to-face meetings with customers.

Moreover, more than half of the firms reported a sharp increase in operating costs such as the cancellation of orders, delayed delivery, and production stagnation. Some of them had to deal with insolvency and compensation for breach of contract. Firms were also under the pressure of employees’ salary, insurances, rent payments, settlement of accounts payable, and loan repayment.

As highlighted by the answers to (supply of raw materials, spare parts and other production and operation materials), the business owners in the interviews reported that supply chain links - the producing and processing of raw material parts, and logistics etc. were affected by the epidemic situation in various regions, with different degrees of delay in delivery and work stoppages while waiting for materials. The spread of epidemic to outside China affected many export businesses. Firms reported cancellation of orders or delayed receipt of goods from overseas customers.

How Firms Responded To The Epidemic

According to the answers for the epidemic also negatively impacted the technological innovation and human resources in some firms. For example, the epidemic has delayed the launch of new products, new recruits, and the progress of projects in cooperation with other firms.