New Longevity Project - Morning Consult Poll Finds High Satisfaction with Online Learning during Quarantine

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The shelter-in-place restrictions have brought substantial disruptions in how adult Americans learn, and a rapid acceleration in online learning and engagement through universities, museums, professional training organizations and religious institutions.  A new poll from the Longevity Project and Morning Consult shows high levels of satisfaction among Americans with online learning during the pandemic and suggests that the transition to online learning may continue after quarantine measures are lifted. 

Nearly half of all adults reported that they are engaged in some form of online learning, with high levels of satisfaction across different learning contexts. Ninety-six percent of respondents described online webinars and conferences as highly or somewhat beneficial to them. Ninety-six percent found online offerings from museums and cultural institutions similarly beneficial. The number was 88% for non-credit college or high school courses. 

An impressive 99% found religious and spiritual offerings beneficial, including 80% who rated them highly beneficial.  Many respondents also indicated that they were likely to continue online learning after the shelter-in-place orders expire; for instance, 85% said they would be much more or somewhat more likely to use online webinars or conferences after quarantines are over. "The quarantines may prove to be a watershed in the progress of online learning for many Americans," said Mitchell Stevens, a sociologist in the Stanford Graduate School of Education who contributed to the design of the poll.  The Stanford Center on Longevity is the primary content collaborator for the Longevity Project. 

The poll also revealed high levels of satisfaction with online courses and programs offering credit towards degrees or certifications.  Eighty-one percent of respondents indicated that they were much more likely or somewhat more likely to continue these courses once the quarantine is over.  For college students who had transitioned from in-person to online classes due to the pandemic, 76% of respondents expressed satisfaction with their online experiences.  "The high level of student satisfaction is a reflection of how well many universities and colleges pivoted to fully online course delivery and is a signal of the broader potential of online learning for college students," said Ryan Lufkin,  Senior Director of Global Education Product Marketing at Instructure and another contributor to the poll.

Other key results of the Longevity Project – Morning Consult poll include:

• Nearly half of all adult Americans have engaged in online learning during the pandemic with the following specific uses: 22% report use of skill-building videos; 16% report religious learning or spiritual activities; 15% webinars/conferences; 10% museum programs; 9% courses for credit; 6% non-credit online courses.
• Older Americans consistently had the highest levels of satisfaction with online learning. Ninety-nine percent of baby boomers rated online webinars and conferences as beneficial (57% highly beneficial). Ninety-nine percent said the same with online offerings from museums and other cultural institutions (72% highly beneficial).
• Thirty-five percent of Americans used the quarantine to engage in work training or skill building, with highest use among young people (65% among Generation Z, 48% among millennials). Respondents expressed almost uniform satisfaction with online learning (93% highly or somewhat satisfied) and a strong desire to continue online skills learning into the future (86% very or somewhat likely).
• Americans are using the quarantine for self-improvement, with 56% citing this as a reason for online learning. Twenty-six percent reported using online learning to engage with family and friends

View the full research findings at www.longevity-project.com.

About the Longevity Project. The Longevity Project fosters research and public conversation to build awareness of the implications of longer life, and bring together leaders from business, government, and the social sector to plan for the transitions in healthcare, retirement planning, the future of work and more. Together with its lead content collaborator, the Stanford Center on Longevity, the Longevity Project supports broader awareness of the longevity challenge and the opportunity for people around the world to live healthier, more secure and more fulfilled lives.  Sponsors of the Longevity Project include Instructure, Wells Fargo, and Principal Financial Group.

Contact: Kaila Lewis
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SOURCE Longevity Project