We’re launching a new mmhmm think tank to do original research on topics affecting distributed workers. Here’s our first mmhmm survey: What are people up to on video calls? We surveyed 1,000 people in the U.S. to find out what they’re really doing on video calls, and the results were revealing.
40% of Americans spend 1-6 hours on video calls per week
20% of people spend six or more hours on video. 51% of us spend more time observing presentations than giving them.
40% of Americans have stashed their stuff in the closet before a call
Guess they haven’t heard of mmhmm Rooms, our virtual backgrounds, which are perfect for hiding a multitude of messes.
Over half (55%) of Americans admitted to multitasking
During video meetings, people do all kinds of things they wouldn’t do if they were meeting IRL in a conference room—36% are scrolling through social media, 25% are reading the news, and 23% are shopping online. There’s a lot to compete with if you want to hold people’s attention during a video call!
85% of respondents feel either as confident or more confident doing virtual vs. in-person presentations
Since our survey indicates that US workers are split half and half over whether they prefer in-person presentations to virtual ones, we think that’s a huge vote of confidence for switching presentations to video.
10% of respondents said they’ve taken calls without wearing pants
(We suspect the other 90% are lying, but that’s pure speculation.) They’re also doing a surprising number of other things off camera. Nearly half of us are eating on calls. And a whopping 36% of Americans have gone to the bathroom while on a call. (If you’re going to do that, you better be on mute!)
Looking for a way to pep up your next presentation so your audience stays engaged and focused on your work? Download mmhmm and try it for free!
This survey was conducted on March 3, 2021 among 1,000 working adults located in the United States.
