LAST UPDATE: FEB. 24, 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
- 33% Feel Safe Socializing With Others in Public Spaces: That figure has barely moved since tracking began in May 2020. A smaller figure (26 percent) said they feel comfortable going to a party or social event, while 31 percent said they’d feel safe going to a wedding.
- 41% of Millennials Express Comfort in Socializing: Roughly the same share of Gen Z adults, millennials and Gen Xers said they feel safe right now socializing in public spaces. Roughly one-quarter (24 percent) of baby boomers said the same.
- Gender Divides on Dating Continue: Men report more comfort than women in dating currently amid the pandemic: 45 percent versus 37 percent, respectively.
- 81% of the Public Is Regularly Masking Up: Thirteen 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.