A wave of polls taken as the Omicron variant made its way across much of the United States shows new signs that the public’s determination to fight the coronavirus pandemic is waning.
The investigations reveal an increasingly frustrated and pessimistic nation as concerned by the specter of an endless pandemic as it is afraid of the disease. While a majority of voters remain concerned about the coronavirus, the balance of recent polls suggests that the desire to return to normalcy has approached or even overtaken the alarm about the virus itself.
A recent Yahoo News/YouGov survey found that 46 percent of respondents felt that Americans should “learn to live with” the pandemic “and get back to normal,” while only 43 percent felt that “we should do more to vaccinate , wear masks and test.”
A Republican company, Echelon Insights, had similar findings, reporting that 55 percent of voters believed Covid-19 should be “treated as an endemic disease that will never go away completely” like the flu, while 38 percent said it should be “treated”. should be”. as a public health emergency.”
The results are especially striking at a time when coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and even deaths are near record highs. Indeed, the same polls showed that public concern about the virus increased during the Omicron wave. But as a telling indicator of public attitudes to the pandemic, increased concern about the virus has not translated into increased support for measures to stop its spread.
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Instead, fears of the virus have apparently been offset by mounting frustration at the inconveniences of a pandemic that has stretched into its second year. Three quarters of adults described themselves as tired or frustrated by the pandemic in a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Fully 70 percent of Americans agreed with the statement that “it’s time we accept that Covid is here to stay and we should just get on with our lives” in a recent Monmouth University poll. That survey found that support for vaccine mandates fell to just 43 percent from 53 percent in September, while support for masking and social distancing guidelines fell to 52 percent from 63 percent over the same period.
The findings come at a potential turning point in the pandemic as several Democratic governors announced plans to relax some mask mandates over the next month. Growing frustration over pandemic restrictions may help explain some of those early announcements — even as cases reach record levels.
The polls pose a delicate challenge to the Biden administration, which has never regained political stature since the rise of the Delta variant wiped out last summer’s hopes of a return to normalcy. Growing unease with the pandemic appears to have contributed to the president’s political woes and may help explain why the public disapproves of Mr Biden’s first handling of the coronavirus.
But a majority of democratically oriented voters continue to support a stronger response to the pandemic, potentially limiting how quickly the government can adapt to public opinion. Many Americans are deeply concerned about the health risks of the virus; the Biden administration may not find it easy to take them along, at least as long as cases and deaths remain at a high level.
And while a majority of voters may long for a return to normalcy, the public doesn’t necessarily want an immediate end to pandemic-related measures. While a new Axios/Ipsos poll found that a majority of voters “wanted to open up to openness,” fewer than half of those respondents — or just 21 percent of all Americans — said they were in favor of going back to normal. live without “coronavirus” mandates or requirements.”
With the number of cases declining in most of the country, the public’s tolerance for virus restrictions may wane in the coming weeks along with the virus.
But for now, the public is not optimistic about Mr Biden or anyone else putting an end to the pandemic. While many of the toughest pandemic restrictions, such as closures or distance education for children, have largely ended, only 18 percent of Americans say their lives have returned to normal, according to another Axios/Ipsos poll. In the same survey, just 13 percent of people expected to return to their normal pre-Covid lives within the next six months, up from 36 percent in June.
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According to Gallup, only 15 percent of adults believed that travel, school and work would end this year. And 28 percent of those polled by Monmouth believed the country would never return to normal, up from 9 percent a year earlier.
At the same time, the public’s fear of the virus has gradually abated. Overall, 38 percent said they were very concerned that someone they know would become seriously ill, according to the Monmouth survey. That’s just over 30 percent in December, before the Omicron variant spread, but below the 45 percent who said the same thing at the height of the Delta wave in September, or the 60 percent who said they were very concerned before last spring’s vaccination campaign.
The polls show that the public is divided at best on whether the virus itself is the main problem facing the nation. Many surveys show that the economy and inflation are now considered the top problems, with only about a third of Americans saying the pandemic is the biggest challenge.
The long-term decline in coronavirus concerns is likely related to rising vaccination rates, but it may also reflect the reduced severity of the Omicron variant. Overall, 69 percent of adults said they were “less concerned” about how Omicron will affect them personally than in previous waves of variants, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Instead, a majority of Americans said they were “more concerned” about Omicron’s effect on the economy and local hospitals.
Apparently, those societal concerns were not enough to spur individuals to take action to fight the pandemic. The Kaiser survey found that a majority of adults said they had no chance of wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings, getting a vaccine or booster shot as a result of Omicron.