While the exact moment we enter the “post-Covid” stage seems to be put back with each new wave of the virus, there are nonetheless some attempts to understand what kind of world people would like when we finally do.  For instance, research from the University of Bristol charts how our visions for the post-Covid world have changed as the pandemic has progressed.

They quizzed around a thousand people from the UK and US in both the summers of 2020 and 2021 to explore their thoughts on four possible futures.  The futures primarily looked at whether society would return to normal or attempt to build back better than before.  They also wanted to understand whether power would be concentrated in the hands of the government or returned to individuals.

Four possible futures

Back to normal – strong government “Collective safety” We don’t want any big changes to how the world works. We are happy for the government to keep its powers to keep us safe and get back on economic track.	Back to normal – individual autonomy “For freedom” We don’t want any big changes to how the world works; our priority is business as usual and safety. We want to take back from governments the powers they have claimed to limit our movements and monitor our data and behavior.
Progressive – strong government “Fairer future” What we want is for governments to take strong action to deal with economic unfairness and the problem of climate change. We are happy for the government to keep its powers if it protects economic fairness, health and the environment.	Progressive – individual autonomy “Grassroots leadership” What we want is for communities, not governments, to work together to build a fair and environmentally friendly world. We want to take back from governments the powers they have claimed to limit our movements and monitor our data and behavior.

Building back better

There emerged a strong desire among respondents to build society back better than it was before, with more power and autonomy granted to individuals.  In both countries and both years, there was a strong leaning towards the “grassroots leadership” approach.

The desire approach people had was strongly influenced by their political philosophy, with those on the right far keener to return to normal than those on the left.  While the right wanted to return to the pre-pandemic norms, however, they weren’t overly concerned about a more progressive future either.

While the desire to build back better was relatively common, respondents were far more likely to think things would return back to how they were instead.  They also thought it more likely that power would remain concentrated in the hands of the government.  Interestingly, this may in part be due to the belief that other people were far more likely to want a return to normal than they actually were.

This is an instance of so-called pluralistic ignorance, in which the majority on an issue actually think they’re in the minority.  This can have significant consequences as people will often shift their attitudes towards what they perceive to be the norm, even though they’re clearly mistaken.  When this perceived norm is a negative one, it can result in significant issues.

In the case of the post-Covid society, it may result in the widespread desire for a better and more progressive future being squashed in favor of a return to normal that few really want.  To overcome this, it’s vital that people have a better grasp of the prevailing opinion among the wider public.  Doing so might help us to build back better in a way that most people seem to want.