Fewer Americans believe COVID-19 is going away and there is “much less confidence” that vaccines can protect from the latest variants, according to a new Gallup poll.
Gallup reported Wednesday that 41% of U.S. adults say the coronavirus situation is “getting better,” down from 63% in late April and early May.
Another 30% — up from 15% in the spring — say the pandemic is “getting worse” and 29% believe it is “staying the same.”
According to the poll, 46% of Americans are very or moderately confident that existing vaccines will protect people from new variants of the virus — down from 71% who said the same in July 2021.
“The drop in confidence may reflect a recognition that some of the new variants might be more resistant to existing vaccines,” Gallup concluded.
Although fewer Americans are taking “active steps” to avoid infection, the polling company found that a “substantial” 56% of Americans say their life continues to be disrupted either a great deal or a fair amount by the virus.
“Americans appear to increasingly accept the coronavirus as a persistent part of life, believing the pandemic is not over and that cases will rise during the fall and winter months. The majority believe their life will never be the same as it was before the pandemic began, “Gallup reported.
Two-thirds of those surveyed said infections will increase either a great deal or a moderate amount in the fall and winter, the period when infections have spiked in recent years.
Gallup conducted the randomized national web survey of 3,682 members of its Gallup Panel on July 26-Aug. 2. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
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