LAST UPDATE: MAR. 3, 2021
Tracking the Return to Normal: Socializing
This tracker is part of a series from Morning Consult gauging when consumers will return to normal activities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more and sign up for alerts.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made socializing with others taboo. One important aspect in discerning consumers’ overall comfort levels is understanding their willingness to re-enter these social settings. Morning Consult will continue tracking the public’s comfort with various social situations throughout 2021.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Comfort With Socializing With Others in Public Spaces Jumps 8 Points in One Week: A smaller figure (30 percent) said they feel comfortable going to a party or social event, while 34 percent said they’d feel safe going to a wedding.
- Respondents of All Ages Express New Comfort in Socializing: Roughly half (48 percent) of millennials said they feel safe right now socializing with others in a public space, as do 32 percent of baby boomers, a respective 7- and 8-percentage point increase for the groups compared to data from a week earlier.
- The Share of Men Comfortable Going on a Date Climbs to 52%: Meanwhile, 35 percent of women said they currently feel safe dating.
- 83% of the Public Is Regularly Masking Up: Twelve percent said they’re “sometimes” wearing a face mask.
Tracking the Return to Normal
When will things return to normal and what will our new normal look like? It’s a question that business, economic and government leaders are grappling with as more and more Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
To help answer this complicated question, Morning Consult is tracking how consumer attitudes are shifting across a wide range of categories, from travel to entertainment to dining, to gain greater insight into not only when consumers will be ready to return to their normal activities, but how their habits will be forever changed. We’ll be updating these pages every week with new data and analyses. Sign up for alerts below.