Graphic conveying Return to Normal: Views on the Pandemic Graphic conveying Return to Normal: Views on the Pandemic
How the Public's Views on COVID-19 Have Shifted Since the Pandemic Began

Updated: March 8, 2023 | By Matt Bracken

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Morning Consult has surveyed thousands of Americans to gauge the effects of the coronavirus on public opinion and behaviors across a wide range of categories, from politics and economics to shopping and dining. As the country transitions into a “new normal,” Morning Consult continues to closely monitor how American attitudes are shifting in these later stages of the pandemic.

The Views on the Pandemic tracker examines how the public feels about COVID-19’s continuing impacts on health, politics and the economy by examining attitudes toward vaccines, political and institutional handling of the coronavirus, economic impacts of the pandemic and more.

This tracker is updated monthly alongside Return to Normal: Consumer Comfort, which monitors the public’s comfort engaging in various socializing, entertainment and travel activities.

The historical Return to Normal tracking pages are available in full here.

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KEY TRENDS

Record-Low Share of Americans Concerned About Omicron: 53% of U.S. adults say they’re concerned about the omicron variant, down 3 percentage points from a month ago and an all-time low in Morning Consult tracking.

Majority of Public Backs Vaccine Mandates: At least half of U.S. adults support COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal, state and local government employees, as well as employers and schools. Meanwhile, 49% back vaccine mandates for businesses.

Biden’s Net Approval on Coronavirus Ticks Up: President Joe Biden’s standing with voters over his handling of COVID-19 climbed to plus 6 (50% approve, 44% disapprove), the highest level since October 2021. Biden’s net approval among Republicans on COVID-19 jumped to minus 60 (18% approve, 78% disapprove), its highest level since August 2021.

RISK AND CONCERN

Concern Over the Delta and Omicron Variants

Share of vaccinated and unvaccinated U.S. adults who say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the delta and omicron variants

Monthly surveys are conducted among a representative sample of roughly 2,200 U.S. adults and have an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements

The share of U.S. adults who say the following entities should require a COVID-19 vaccination for employees, residents or patrons:

Monthly surveys are conducted among a representative sample of roughly 2,200 U.S. adults and have an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.

Tracking Concern Over COVID-19

Share of U.S. adults who are “very” concerned about coronavirus outbreak, by generation

Monthly surveys are conducted among a representative sample of roughly 2,200 U.S. adults and have an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
Viewing COVID-19 as a ‘Severe’ Health Risk in Your Community

The share of U.S. adults who say the coronavirus is a severe health risk in their local community

Monthly surveys are conducted among a representative sample of roughly 2,200 U.S. adults and have an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.

POLITICAL IMPACT

Biden’s Net Approval for Handling COVID-19

Net approval (approval minus disapproval) among registered voters of Biden’s handling of the coronavirus

Monthly surveys are conducted among a representative sample of roughly 1,990 registered voters and have an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.

Net Approval for Leaders’ Handling of Coronavirus

Net approval (approval minus disapproval) among registered voters of each of the following’s handling of the coronavirus:

Monthly surveys are conducted among a representative sample of roughly 1,990 registered voters and have an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.

ABOUT

Methodology

Morning Consult’s Return to Normal: Views of the Pandemic relies on a monthly survey that measures Americans’ perceptions of vaccines, political and institutional leadership in handling the coronavirus, the economic cost and more. The latest results are based on a survey of 2,210 adults, conducted March 2-5, 2023.

In February 2023, Morning Consult changed the survey frequency of our Return to Normal: Views of the Pandemic tracker to a monthly cadence. To request weekly data from Jan. 26, 2020, to Feb. 4, 2023, please reach out to .

About Morning Consult

Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com.

Email press@morningconsult.com to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.

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