PR Pros Working Harder, But 85% See Post-Pandemic Rebound, Rise in PR’s Stature

As loyal readers of PRNEWS know, we periodically gauge the industry’s mood via short surveys. In our latest (below), we turned around the data within 10 days. Yet several important issues broke during that period, including resumption of Major League Baseball and the game’s virus issues, as well as Google’s July 27 announcement that its 200,000 full-time and contract staff have the option to work from home through June 30, 2021. In addition, coronavirus cases spiked in several southern and western US states.

It is difficult to say whether or how these might have influenced the 120 PR pros who took part in our latest survey. Still, a survey is a snapshot in time. And when this survey was live (July 13-24), these issues were not in play.
Working 'Much Harder,' But Upbeat
One of the big takeaways from our new survey is that in the time since our June survey, PR's verve has dimmed only slightly. In June, we found PR moderately optimistic about the future, despite there being no end in sight for the pandemic. Our latest survey finds the same attitude, though there's a twist, which we address below.

The new survey finds PR pros working "much harder" during the pandemic (chart 1), yet the reasons for this are positive. 72 percent said the extra work results from businesses needing additional help during the pandemic.