LAST UPDATE: SEPT. 15, 2021
The Return to Normal: Views on the Pandemic
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.
Morning Consult is closely tracking the public’s attitudes on vaccines, social distancing, comfort, political and institutional leadership in handling the coronavirus, the economic cost and more.
KEY TRENDS
4 in 5 Adults Concerned About Delta Variant: The share of adults who say they’re concerned about the delta variant ticked up to 80%, with concern rising among both vaccinated and unvaccinated adults in the past week. Still, vaccinated Americans remain 21 percentage points more likely than unvaccinated adults to be worried about the delta variant, 87% to 66%.
Majority Support for Vaccine Requirements: At least 3 in 5 adults support COVID-19 vaccination requirements across a group of six institutions, with support ranging from 61% for mandates from businesses and employers to 66% who say the federal government should require vaccines. (Read more: White House’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates Have the Support of About 3 in 5 Americans | Brands That Ignore Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Have a Lot to Lose)
Biden’s COVID-19 Net Approval Among Independents Dips to Record Low: President Joe Biden’s net approval among independents for his handling of the coronavirus fell to minus 9, a new low in Morning Consult tracking, with 41% approving and 50% disapproving. Republicans matched a record low for net approval of Biden’s COVID-19 management at minus 67 (14% approve, 81% disapprove). (Read more: Vaccine Mandates Haven’t Moved the Needle on Biden’s Job Approval)
A Third of the Public Views COVID-19 as a Severe Risk Locally: The share of adults who say COVID-19 is a severe risk in their local community reached 33%, the highest level recorded since March. That share has been climbing since early July, with 41% of Democrats and 21% of Republicans now saying the virus is a severe local health risk.
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.