Updated: Jan. 25, 2023 | By Matt Bracken
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Morning Consult has surveyed thousands of Americans every week 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
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, schools and businesses. More than 50% of respondents think employers (52%) and businesses (51%) should require COVID-19 vaccines for the first time since October 2022.
About 1 in 4 Adults ‘Very Concerned’ About COVID-19: 26% of U.S. adults say they’re “very concerned” about the coronavirus, the highest share since August 2022. Concern among baby boomers reached its highest level (28%) since August as well.
Biden’s Net Approval on Coronavirus Inches Up: President Joe Biden’s standing with voters over his handling of COVID-19 ticked up slightly over the past month, with a net approval of plus 4 (49% approve, 45% disapprove). Biden’s net approval among Democrats on COVID-19 climbed to plus 73 (85% approve, 12% disapprove), its highest level since late November 2022.
RISK AND CONCERN
Share of vaccinated and unvaccinated U.S. adults who say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the delta and omicron variants
The share of U.S. adults who say the following entities should require a COVID-19 vaccination for employees, residents or patrons:
The share of U.S. adults who say the coronavirus is a severe health risk in their local community
POLITICAL IMPACT
The share of registered voters who say they are more concerned about the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak than the public health impact
Net approval (approval minus disapproval) among registered voters of Biden’s handling of the coronavirus
Net approval (approval minus disapproval) among registered voters of each of the following’s handling of the coronavirus:
ABOUT
Methodology
Morning Consult’s Return to Normal: Views of the Pandemic relies on a weekly 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 Jan. 19-21, 2023.
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.