Optimism about COVID plummets in US — but worries and behaviors stay same, poll finds
Optimism on the COVID-19 situation has plummeted in the United States over the past several weeks, a poll found.
The Gallup findings released Monday, Dec. 20, showed that the percentage of people in the country who think the situation is improving dropped 20 points compared with a poll conducted in late October. But personal worries about the coronavirus and social distancing behaviors remained relatively unchanged.
The poll was conducted Nov. 29-Dec. 5 and included 4,034 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. It comes during concerns about the omicron variant and as coronavirus cases are on the rise.
Much is still to be learned about omicron, but early research suggests it may be more contagious and capable of evading the COVID-19 vaccines, McClatchy News has reported. So far, however, many of the first omicron infections in the U.S. have been mild, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier in December.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel has said there’s a chance the company’s COVID-19 vaccine could lose some of its effectiveness against the omicron variant. But the company said Monday, Dec. 20, that a dose of its booster vaccine increased antibody levels against omicron.
Similarly, data has suggested that people who have received only two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine saw a reduction in antibody levels against omicron but that the booster shot may help protect against the variant.
Optimism on the COVID-19 situation
The poll found that 31% of respondents said they think the COVID-19 situation is getting a lot or a little better.
That’s down 20 percentage points from 51% in a poll conducted Oct. 18-24. The October poll came as coronavirus cases were down following a surge in infections sparked by the highly contagious delta variant, which the CDC said remains the predominant variant in the U.S.
Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who said the COVID-19 situation is getting worse nearly doubled: from 18% in October to 35% in the most recent poll. About a third of respondents in the most recent poll said they think the situation has stayed the same.
Gallup noted that October marked the first time since June that more respondents said the situation was improving.
“Throughout the pandemic, Americans have been cognizant of changes in its severity, including this summer, as the highly contagious delta variant swept through the country; this fall, as it tapered; and more recently, as the omicron variant emerged as a new threat,” Gallup said. “In each case, perceptions of whether the national situation was getting better or worse moved accordingly.”
Worries and behaviors unchanged
Despite decreased optimism on the COVID-19 situation, respondents’ personal worries about the virus and social distancing behaviors have remained relatively the same, Gallup found.
Thirty-eight percent said they are very or somewhat worried that they will get COVID-19, which has held steady since August, when 39% said the same, the poll found. Meanwhile, 62% said they are not too worried or not at all worried, which has also remained steady since August, when 61% said the same.
“Gallup recorded much lower concern during the spring and early summer, coinciding with people’s improved outlook for the pandemic as the nation was getting vaccinated and the number of new COVID-19 cases was rapidly declining,” Gallup said. “In 2020, before the creation and approval of the vaccines, the slight majority of Americans were typically worried.”
Forty-six percent of respondents said they have avoided large crowds in the past seven days, 40% said they have avoided traveling, 29% said they have avoided public places, and 21% said they have avoided small gatherings.
“These social distancing behaviors have largely been stable since May, except for September, when slightly more eschewed large crowds and traveling as perceptions of the coronavirus situation worsened,” Gallup said.
The poll also found that 70% of respondents said they have worn a face mask in the past seven days, which has also remained relatively the same since August.
Gallup noted that the fact respondents are “not inclined to return to stringent social distancing” could in part be because of reports that the omicron variant may cause less severe symptoms.
“It likely also reflects the fact that most Americans who want to be vaccinated now are, and many have already received their booster,” Gallup said.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Optimism about COVID plummets in US — but worries and behaviors stay same, poll finds."
