St. Paul workers want to get back downtown

St. Paul workers want to come back to their office in some capacity, according to a recent survey by the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance and St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce.

How it works: The groups surveyed 272 workers, residents and patrons of St. Paul from April 20-May 7. It was part of a larger study by the International Downtown Association.

Key findings:

• 70% of surveyed St. Paul workers want a hybrid model in which they can work some days at home and some in the office.
• 54% of those surveyed said their organization is going to adopt a hybrid approach; 14% will go back to the same model as before the pandemic and 3% will go fully remote. The remainder don't know yet.
• 75% of workers have either returned to the office or expect to do so by fall.
• 64% said they feel less safe downtown than before the pandemic, which is why the Downtown Alliance has started a #WelcomeBackStPL campaign with events and activations.