This Saturday will mark three years since the COVID-19 pandemic became an undeniable reality for Americans. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive for the virus, and the NBA suspended play – which combined to radically alter public perception of its severity.
The years since have seen drastic shifts in American comfort levels and issue polarization surrounding masks, vaccination, and social distancing. Although U.S. adults generally became much less concerned about the virus following widespread vaccination – with sizable upticks during the Delta and Omicron waves – deaths and hospitalizations remain at a relatively high baseline compared to the spring of 2021, with Americans still juggling concerns about the potential impact of Long Covid.
CivicScience has tracked public sentiment on just about every facet of the pandemic experience since March 2020 and will continue to do so as it enters the fourth year. Here are our latest insights into how Americans feel about COVID-19, three years later:
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