LAST UPDATE: SEPT. 15, 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.
Morning Consult is tracking pent-up demand and excitement for many of the activities listed on this page. Bookmark this page for weekly updates of these figures, and read our deep dive on which industries will see a post-pandemic boom in consumer demand.
KEY TRENDS
- The Public’s Comfort With Attending Weddings Increases: U.S. adults’ comfort with both socializing with others in public (51%, down 1 percentage point from last week) and going to a religious event (43%, down 1 point from last week) declined from the previous week. Comfort with going to a wedding, however, increased 2 points from the prior survey, while comfort with attending a party remained flat at 41 percent.
- Male Comfort With Dating Rises: While comfort with going on a date remained flat for all adults and women from last week, 62 percent of men said they feel OK going on a date, up 3 points from last week. It’s the highest comfort with dating has been for men since a July 22-24 survey.
- Share of Consumers “Always” Masking Up Increases: 57% of Americans said they always wear a mask in public, a 3-point increase from last week. The share has increased 13 points since late July, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the vaccinated still wear masks indoors in some cases.
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.