Most Americans Say Life Is Starting to Return to Pre-Covid Normal, a Poll Shows

Most Americans say their lives are at least approaching prepandemic normalcy, according to a recent study.

While 12 percent of adults think their life is the same as it was before the pandemic, 54 percent think their lives are somewhat the same, according to the poll, published Tuesday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and The SCAN Foundation.

A smaller proportion, 34 percent, think that their lives are not the same.

The poll was conducted in mid-May, when, as now, hospitalizations were rising nationally.

According to the survey, a slim majority of 51 percent of Americans think that getting a Covid-19 vaccine is essential for them, while 39 percent think that nearly all people need to receive the vaccine before things can go back to the way they were.

Fifty percent of Americans think that the availability of effective treatments for Covid-19 is essential for participating in public life.

Only 22 percent think that wearing masks in public indoor places is essential to going back to prepandemic life, while 20 percent think regular testing is essential.

The study also found that Black and Hispanic adults were more likely than white adults to give importance to indoor masking and regular testing.

While 78 percent of Black respondents said that most people wearing face masks in public indoor places would bring life back to normal, 62 percent of Hispanic and 44 percent of white respondents agreed.

When asked whether most people should be regularly tested, 71 percent of Black people said yes, compared with 58 percent of Hispanics and 42 percent of white people.

In the survey, 87 percent of respondents said they would socialize with friends and family; 79 percent were planning to go to a bar or restaurant, visit with older relatives, travel, and attend in-person religious services; 65 percent said they were ready to exercise at a gym or studio; and 50 percent would be using public transportation.

The poll included 1,001 adult respondents who were surveyed online or by phone in English between May 12 and May 16.