Thirty percent of American workers under the age of 40 have considered changing their careers since the coronavirus pandemic started, a poll released Monday by The Washington Post and Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University has revealed.

Overall, 22% of workers have thought about a professional shift, an indication that the pandemic has been a turning point for many and altered how they think about what is important in life and their careers.

This has led to a record numbers of Americans quitting their jobs and a surge of retirements and people starting businesses, according to the Post.

Applications for new businesses has gone up significantly this year and last, census data shows, apparently sparked by people who were laid off or who wanted a change.

In May, the share of workers who voluntarily quit their jobs hit the highest level the Labor Department has recorded in another sign that American workers are rethinking what they want to do in their careers and are confident they can find another job.

Other details from the survey indicate:

• Since the pandemic began, 28% of U.S. adults say they have seriously considered moving and 17% say they have already moved, either temporarily or permanently.
•  Adults under age 40, at 41%,  are the most likely to have considered moving or to have already relocated. 
• Almost half of adults say it is "extremely" or "very" important to have easy access to hiking, fishing, and camping, up from 34% in a survey two years ago conducted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, the Associated Press and NORC.
• Fifty-nine percent of workers say they want to return to their workplace all or most of the time after the pandemic is over. Just under two in 10 say they want to mostly (10%) or always (85%) work remotely, while two in 10 desire an even split between working at home and commuting occasionally. White men are more likely than other workers overall to want to return to the workplace.

The poll was carried out between July 6 -21 among a random national sample of 1,000 adults, with 75% reached on cellphones and 25% on landlines. Overall results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.

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