Are there demographic differences in the results?

Some of it is consistent with what we’re seeing in the media, especially regarding younger people maybe not having the same level of travel anxiety. What we were seeing with the scenes on beaches, that’s what was expressed in the data. Older populations, those that are more concerned with the impact personally, are stating that they have higher levels of travel anxiety. It’s consistent with what the virus is doing and what people are hearing. I think that’s the important part. The messaging is really key to getting everybody in different demographic populations to respond in the same way so that we can level out the curve.

Respondents in the Northeast are the most concerned about travel now, which tracks with the outbreak. What else does regional data indicate?

Regardless of whatever crises I’ve worked with, people always ask the same kind of question: When do you know when the crisis is over? We’ll have some markers along the way that start to signal the crisis is over, but it’s really important that destinations realize their particular destination may be at a different stage of the crisis wave than other destinations. So, it’s important for them to monitor at a global level as well as at a more micro level. The data will help them determine what they need to be doing at what stage to be able to prepare to bring people back.

What are the implications for the travel industry ahead?

As far as the travel and tourism industry, one of the things that we’ve seen from crises in general is that the industry is very resilient, and that we rebound fairly quickly. We also are seeing that there will be some pent-up demand and that people will be ready to travel. There’s some indication that travel will be closer to home initially and that people will do more driving tourism. But there’s going to be a segment of the population that is more willing to jump on a plane and go overseas.

In a March survey, those making over $125,000 were more interested in traveling than those with lower incomes. Did that surprise you?

No. For the most part, we know that travel experience is related to perceptions of risk, and that the more people travel, the more they are exposed to different levels of risk and that they feel more equipped to be able to deal with it. So, their self-efficacy goes up and therefore their perception of risk goes down and their willingness to travel goes up. Income is related to experience, so they’re more likely to have traveled more frequently and to a greater variety of places, whether for work or leisure.

Those under 25 report less anxiety than older people. Why?

The youth market tends to be more accepting of risk. They’re more adventure travelers. They participate in riskier activities, not just in travel but in their lifestyle in general. Overall, everybody’s perception of risk is increasing, but relative to other age groups, theirs is less.