The number of Americans who think there will be a return to normal within the next six months or sooner is on the rise, according to new Axios-Ipsos poll results released Tuesday. Now 40% of respondents think this is the case, compared to 26% at the end of January.
And the number who think it will take a year or more to return to normal is declining more, now at 17% compared to 30% at the end of January. The poll, held March 5-8, was based on a nationally representative sample of 1,001 Americans ages 18 and older.
In the poll, 20% say they don’t know when they will return to pre-coronavirus activity levels for in-person gatherings outside of their household or dining at a restaurant. The rest have a mix of responses – 30% say they have already attended in-person meetings, 29% say they will once they or everyone in their area is vaccinated, 21% say they will if officials say it is safe, and 20% don’t know.
With 25% of respondents reporting having received the vaccine, the vast majority of respondents say they will continue public health measures even after being vaccinated, with 81% saying they continue to wear a mask, 66% continue to socialize and distance themselves 87% say they will regularly wash or disinfect their hands.
As these numbers change, so does the number of Americans who stay at home and avoid contact with others and engage in social interactions outside of the home.
The number of Americans who say they avoid contact, 13%, is the lowest since October and six points lower than a month ago. The number of Americans who visited family or friends in the past week – 44% – is seven points higher than a month ago.
The poll also looked at personal benefits since the start of the pandemic. It found that 36% said spending more time at home was the greatest personal benefit, 33% said spending less / saving more was the greatest personal benefit, and a quarter said spending more time with the family.
There was also “some cautious optimism” about finances, with fewer people saying their ability to pay their rent or mortgage had deteriorated, and a lower number of people saying they were on temporary leave or suspended.
Finally, the poll looked at the impact of the pandemic on dreams. It was found that 1 in 3 Americans had reported strange or vivid dreams in the past month, a quarter had stressful or frightening dreams, and less than 1 in 10 coronavirus-specific dreams.