New Delhi: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has forced people globally to go for lockdown and social distancing, which has led millions to work from home. Jefferies, the financial advisory services firm, in its recent survey found that participants highlight how optimistic they are and how this event can change society for the better.

Most people think this crisis has the potential to ‘shake things up’ for the better. Around 67 per cent of millennials globally believe this is true.

“We believe this pandemic could redraw the political landscape as many societies have had to endure hardship for the common good. Moreover, most people think companies have acted responsibly, suggesting the societal shift towards stakeholder capitalism and corporate social responsibility is indeed sustainable,” the survey stated.

Jefferies International Limited Equity Research team and Simon Powell at Jefferies surveyed over 5,500 consumers in 11 counties, including the US, China, Japan, Hong Kong, India and Australia, to find out global stay-at-home consumer attitudes. This survey results show that global consumers are generally optimistic on the virus outbreak, for they deemed that this event can change society for the better.

There are six surprise facts, which got highlighted in the survey -- most people think this crisis has the potential to ‘shake things up’ for the better; more than six in 10 people think companies have acted responsibly; only one in five consumers will go shopping as soon as quarantine restrictions end; most consumers are not even planning to book holidays in 2021; housing intentions are largely unchanged and roughly six in 10 Americans are optimistic about the health of their finances.

In light of this new data, Jefferies revisited its 20 speculative hypotheses for the way people might live, work and play in the future. Six appear well-supported by data herein -- healthy living becomes like wearing a seatbelt; the house as a castle; the urban exodus; the stands are empty the armchairs are full; slow living kills fast fashion and we move to a cashless society.