COVID-19 numbers in the U.S. are (thankfully) still on a decline. In the past two weeks, cases are down 7%, hospitalizations down 17%, and deaths down 38%. Similar to last week, CivicScience tracking data show that Americans’ concern about being in public spaces continues to be lower than in the past. Thirty-five percent of U.S. adults say they’re “not at all concerned.” Still – it’s important to note that 65% of people still have some level of concern.
Along these same lines, there was also an observed decrease in the percentage of U.S. adults who expect that quarantining and social distance measures will last for more than 6 months. Only 23% of adults expect to be still following these public health guidelines six or more months from now – a two percentage point decrease week-over-week.Shopping, Dining, and Travel Comfort
When it comes to returning to stores for shopping, the numbers have been stable for the past two weeks. Sixty-three percent of U.S. adults say they’re comfortable doing so right now.
As of this week, comfort levels with dining at restaurants reached 55% – the highest observed percentage since April 2020. As the vaccine rollout continues nationwide, this number could continue to climb as it has for the past month.
Places like Miami have already experienced a COVID-19 surge during spring break season. With an even bigger travel season around the corner, CivicScience data show that this week, nearly 40% of U.S. adults say they’re comfortable traveling right now but still roughly 1/4th say they don’t plan to travel or go on vacation in six or more months. Another 31% of U.S. adults report that they are going to wait to travel for at least a month.
Real Estate During COVID-19
As other CivicScience studies have mentioned, more people have optimistic views of the housing market despite the uncertainty of the economy during the pandemic. This week, nearly 40% of U.S. adults say now is a “good time” to purchase a new home.
This isn’t the case for everyone though – adults from both higher-income and lower-income brackets are less likely than others to think that March is a good time to buy a new home compared to January and February this year.
Those living in rural areas are more likely to think March has been a good time to buy a new home than they did in January/February 2021. The exact opposite is true for those living in the city and suburbs.
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