Auditing in times of change: A qualitative study on how Covid-19 will affect audit quality

Abstract: Purpose - This study explores how Covid-19 may affect audit quality and provide early insights if the pandemic has already affected audit quality in Sweden. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses qualitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews with eight Swedish authorized auditors within Big Four to explore possible impacts on three key aspects for audit quality. These include Going-concern assessments, Auditor-client relationship, and Auditor-independence. Findings - Even though the Covid-19 pandemic is not over, it has had fewer effects on audit quality than experts and researchers predicted. Even though the pandemic has changed the communication and the relationship between the auditor and client, the findings state no significant effect on audit quality within the auditor-client relationship. The same goes for auditor-independence. However, the findings of this study indicate that making accurate going-concern assessments has and will be more complex and thus threaten audit quality. Practical contribution – We anticipate that auditors need to provide a greater focus on GC assessments as stakeholders require greater disclosure. Further, auditors and clients should gain on the increased use of digital communication by using it as a complement to physical meetings in the future. Originality/Value - This study is, to the best of our knowledge, one of the first studies that explore the potential impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on audit quality with empirical evidence. Since this study is conducted in the middle of the pandemic (Spring 2021), the results can be seen as indications for future researchers that beyond the pandemic seek to explain how the Covid-19 pandemic affected audit quality as it is crucial for the audit community to follow the consequences of the pandemic.