Essentially the most important pandemic of our lifetime arrived as the US was experiencing three main societal traits: a growing divide between partisans of the left and proper, decreasing trust in many institutions, and a massive splintering of the information environment.
COVID-19 didn’t trigger any of this, however these forces fueled the nation’s divided response. Trying again, almost three-quarters of U.S. adults (72%) say the pandemic did extra to drive the nation aside than to deliver it collectively.
Basic variations arose between People over what we count on from our authorities, how a lot tolerance we now have for well being dangers, and which teams and sectors to prioritize in a pandemic. Many of those divides proceed to play out within the nation’s politics in the present day.
The pandemic left few features of day by day life in America untouched. Trying again on it almost 5 years later, three-quarters of People say the COVID-19 pandemic took some form of toll on their very own lives. This consists of 27% who say it had a main toll on them and 47% who say it took a minor toll.
The virus itself additionally had a staggering affect. A large majority of U.S. adults have had COVID-19 in some unspecified time in the future, and greater than 1 million People died from it. Hundreds of thousands proceed to battle with long COVID. And most say they know someone who was hospitalized or died from the virus.
However most People have moved on. The overwhelming majority of those that say their lives had been impacted report having recovered a minimum of considerably. Amongst U.S. adults total, about one-in-five (21%) now say the coronavirus is a serious risk to the well being of the U.S. inhabitants as an entire. And a majority (56%) assume it’s now not one thing we actually want to fret about a lot.
That is mirrored in People’ habits: Simply 4% repeatedly put on a masks, whereas most by no means do. And fewer than half of U.S. adults mentioned they deliberate to get an up to date COVID-19 vaccine final fall, a stark distinction to the lengthy traces and widespread demand that met the preliminary rollout of vaccines.
On the five-year anniversary of the coronavirus outbreak, a serious Pew Analysis Heart survey performed in late October 2024 offers perception into how People assess the nation’s pandemic response. These findings are paired with an evaluation of traits courting to early 2020. The report sections take a better have a look at COVID-19’s affect in 4 particular areas of American life: well being, work, faith and know-how.
Large gaps stay between Republicans and Democrats in views towards COVID-19, together with vaccines
Majorities of each Democrats and Republicans had been personally impacted by the pandemic: Eight-in-ten Democrats (together with independents who lean to the Democratic Get together) say COVID-19 took a minimum of a minor toll on them, whereas 69% of Republicans and GOP leaners say the identical.
And nearly similar shares of Republicans and Democrats say they’ve examined constructive for COVID-19 or been fairly positive they’d it.
However the pandemic highlighted the completely different values and priorities of America’s two main political events.
Two years after the pandemic started, Republicans had been extra doubtless than Democrats to say the nation had given too little precedence to particular person selection and supporting companies and financial exercise within the response to the coronavirus outbreak. And a bigger majority of Republicans than Democrats mentioned the nation hadn’t given sufficient precedence to the wants of Ok-12 college students. Democrats, in the meantime, had been extra prone to say the nation got here up brief on limiting dangers for susceptible populations and defending public well being.
These differing outlooks are a part of what formed the sharply partisan responses to COVID-19 that persist in the present day.
Within the new survey:
- Republicans are more likely to say COVID-19 is now no worse than a chilly or flu. About six-in-ten Republicans say this. In contrast, 76% of Democrats take the alternative view and describe COVID-19 in the present day as worse than a chilly or flu.
- In the meantime, Democrats are far more inclined to fret that we’re not taking COVID-19 significantly sufficient in the present day. Totally 60% of Democrats fear we’re not taking COVID-19 significantly sufficient now, in contrast with 20% of Republicans.
- There are also differing views on the steps folks ought to take when they’re feeling sick. Whereas majorities of each events say this can be very or crucial for an individual with cold-like signs to keep away from contact with susceptible folks, Democrats are extra doubtless than Republicans to specific this view (84% vs. 63%). Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to say it’s essential for somebody with these signs to remain dwelling from work or faculty, put on a masks in crowded settings and take a look at for COVID-19.
Views of vaccines within the COVID-19 period
The fast growth of COVID-19 vaccines was an unprecedented achievement for science and drugs that consultants say saved millions of lives around the world. Massive shares of U.S. adults lined as much as get vaccinated within the pandemic’s first yr.
- By final fall – with threat of extreme sickness and dying from COVID-19 far decrease than on the peak of the pandemic – most People mentioned they most likely would not get essentially the most up to date model of the COVID-19 vaccine. And the stark partisan variations in vaccine uptake seen all through the pandemic remained extensive. About eight-in-ten Republicans (81%) mentioned they probably wouldn’t get an updated vaccine. In contrast, a majority of Democrats mentioned they had been planning to get it (39%) or had already obtained it (23%).
- Amongst these ages 65 and older, 70% of Republicans mentioned they had been unlikely to get the most recent vaccine, whereas greater than eight-in-ten Democrats mentioned that they’d already gotten it (42%) or most likely would (42%).
In a 2023 survey, People expressed lukewarm views of the preventative health benefits of COVID-19 vaccines, together with issues about negative effects.
Health officials worry that currents of skepticism towards COVID-19 vaccines may cross over into views of different vaccines, just like the one given to kids for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). A March 2023 Heart survey discovered large shares of U.S. adults continued to view the benefits of the MMR vaccine as outweighing the risks, however assist for insurance policies requiring vaccines for youngsters to attend public colleges had fallen 12 proportion factors, a drop pushed nearly fully by falling assist amongst Republicans.
And data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exhibits that there was a downtick within the share of kindergarteners with full vaccination data for measles and different ailments, together with polio and chickenpox.
Did the nation’s leaders and establishments meet the second?
With the advantage of 5 years of perspective, People provide a combined evaluation of how their leaders and establishments responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. These on the entrance traces – hospitals and medical facilities – stand out for the constructive rankings they obtain for his or her efficiency.
- About half of U.S. adults or fewer now say their state elected officers (49%), Joe Biden (40%) and Donald Trump (38%) did a superb or good job responding to the pandemic. A slim majority (56%) give constructive rankings to public well being officers, like these on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC).
- Solely native hospitals get a full-throated approval from People: Trying again, 78% say medical facilities of their space responded nicely to the pandemic.
- Once more, there are large partisan variations on a number of of those questions. For instance, 79% of Democrats say public well being officers’ response was glorious or good, whereas 35% of Republicans agree. Republicans’ constructive rankings of public well being officers fell 58 factors between spring 2020 and the beginning 0f 2022.
Restrictions on public exercise had been a central part of officers’ response to the pandemic throughout ranges of presidency.
Requested about their evaluation in the present day, fewer than half of U.S. adults (44%) say the restrictions on public exercise of their space throughout the pandemic had been about proper. One other 38% say there ought to have been fewer restrictions of their space, whereas 18% say there ought to have been extra.
Originally of the pandemic, most Democrats and Republicans agreed with newly carried out restrictions on public gatherings and nonessential companies. However these views modified shortly because the pandemic wore on, with persevering with impacts on the economic system, colleges and different features of day by day life. Republicans, particularly, turned increasingly critical of activity restrictions.
- Now, trying again, 62% of Republicans say there ought to have been fewer restrictions on exercise of their space, whereas simply 15% of Democrats share this view. A majority of Democrats (59%) assume their native officers acquired it about proper, however a few quarter say there ought to even have been extra restrictions than there have been.
- In terms of Ok-12 public colleges, 55% of Republicans say colleges of their space stayed closed for too lengthy, whereas simply 17% of Democrats agree. About half of Democrats (49%) say colleges of their space had been closed for about the correct amount of time.
Extra broadly, the outbreak solid a highlight on the position of scientists and scientific info. Through the pandemic, Americans’ confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests fell: 87% expressed a minimum of a good quantity of confidence in April 2020, however that quantity dropped to 73% in October 2023. This total decline was pushed by a pointy drop within the share of Republicans who specific confidence in scientists to behave within the public curiosity (from 85% to 61%).
The knowledge atmosphere: Many say the media exaggerated the dangers of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic pressured People to attempt to parse via details about a brand new matter that scientists had been scrambling to completely perceive – and that just about nobody had heard of only a few months earlier than. About two years into the pandemic, 60% of U.S. adults said they felt confused because of modifications to public well being officers’ suggestions, and 57% mentioned false and deceptive details about the virus and vaccines contributed a lot to problems with the response.
Challenges in public understanding persist even in the present day, with about four-in-ten People – together with comparable shares of Democrats (36%) and Republicans (41%) – saying they don’t seem to be positive what the present well being pointers are for somebody who will get COVID-19.
COVID-19 additionally arrived in a quickly altering information atmosphere. Many People had already lost trust within the info from nationwide information organizations – a change pushed by Republicans. And information about COVID-19 match into that pattern:
- General, 54% of People say the information media exaggerated the dangers of COVID-19 a minimum of barely. This consists of eight-in-ten Republicans who say the media significantly (65%) or barely (15%) exaggerated the dangers, in contrast with three-in-ten Democrats who specific comparable views. A further two-in-ten Democrats say the media didn’t take the dangers significantly sufficient, whereas half say they acquired the dangers about proper.
- There are comparable patterns in views towards public well being officers like these on the CDC, Joe Biden and his administration, and state elected officers. In every case, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say these sources exaggerated the dangers of COVID-19 a minimum of barely.
- Republicans have a unique perspective on what they heard from the Trump administration: Greater than half of Republicans (59%) say Trump acquired the dangers about proper. In contrast, 81% of Democrats say Trump didn’t take the dangers of COVID-19 significantly sufficient.
- On the similar time, Republicans are a lot much less assured than Democrats that they might be capable to discover correct info within the occasion of a brand new well being emergency. Whereas about three-quarters of Democrats (74%) say they’re a minimum of considerably assured they may do that, just below half of Republicans (46%) agree. General, 60% of U.S. adults specific this view.
COVID-19 affected completely different teams of People in numerous methods
Adults below age 50 are extra doubtless than their elders to say COVID-19 took a serious toll on their lives – and to say they haven’t but totally recovered from the pandemic. Many individuals on this youthful group had been ending their education years or parenting younger kids when the pandemic hit. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of people who died from COVID-19 in the United States had been ages 50 and older, underscoring the vary of well being and social impacts COVID-19 had on People.
Ladies and Hispanics are also extra doubtless than males and different racial and ethnic teams to say COVID-19 had a serious affect on their lives. And People with decrease incomes report struggling a serious toll at a better charge. A number of knowledge factors from the pandemic spotlight the differential impacts COVID-19 had on People:
- Within the early days of COVID-19, younger adults had been dwelling with their dad and mom on the highest levels since the Great Depression.
- Amongst adults 25 and older who don’t have any schooling past highschool, more women left the labor force throughout the pandemic than males. And at multiple points during the pandemic, working moms with kids below 12 had been extra doubtless than working fathers on this class to say it was troublesome to deal with work and little one care duties.
- About half of Hispanic adults (49%) said in March 2021 that they or somebody of their family had misplaced a job or taken a pay lower due to the pandemic, increased than the share of U.S. adults total who mentioned the identical. Youthful adults additionally had been extra prone to expertise job loss or pay discount.
The pandemic additionally hit Black and Hispanic communities disproportionately exhausting when it comes to mortality rates within the first yr after the outbreak. And Black People stay more likely than their White counterparts to say that COVID-19 stays a serious risk to the well being of the U.S. inhabitants in the present day.
Work, know-how and faith: What modified, and what didn’t, about American life amid COVID-19
The pandemic impacted many features of life in quite a lot of methods. Some folks have gotten new flexibility on the subject of work and non secular worship as know-how has gained a brand new position in lots of People’ lives. However the pandemic additionally highlighted societal disparities in issues like entry to know-how and the choice to work remotely.
The way in which we work
The pandemic created a seismic shock within the labor market, with Hispanic folks, younger adults and low-wage staff hardest hit.
Within the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, a majority of American staff (62%) had jobs that couldn’t be finished from dwelling. However for many who may telecommute, the pandemic ushered in an period of elevated distant work that continues to at the present time.
- Amongst American staff whose jobs presently permit for distant work as a chance, 14% say they had been working remotely the entire time earlier than the pandemic.
- Through the first yr of the pandemic, that quantity peaked at 55% in October 2020.
- At this time, 32% of those staff nonetheless say they’re working remotely on a regular basis.
- Amongst staff whose jobs presently permit for distant work, 23% say they had been working from dwelling most or a few of the time earlier than the pandemic, whereas 43% say that is the case in the present day.
Many distant or hybrid staff say they like to make money working from home. And the shift to telework (and hybrid schedules) has had one clear upside for staff: Most of them say it has helped them steadiness their work and private lives. However the largest draw back for these staff is that many say they really feel much less linked to colleagues.
Jump to more details on how COVID-19 changed work in America.
Non secular worship
COVID-19 drastically modified how People take part in worship providers. In July 2020, simply 6% of People who attend providers a minimum of month-to-month mentioned that their home of worship was open to the general public and working like regular. Like distant work, the share of People who report watching spiritual providers on-line or on TV peaked early within the pandemic, with 36% saying they participated nearly within the final month as of July 2020. And lots of are nonetheless doing so in the present day.
However the pandemic didn’t shake American faith: The share collaborating in providers in a roundabout way has been regular, and the share who say COVID-19 had a huge impact on their religious life is small.
Jump to more details on how COVID-19 affected religious worship in America.
Normal know-how use
The web was important to People throughout the pandemic, with 90% saying it was important to their life at the time (as of April 2021) – together with 58% who mentioned it was important.
Trying again on the pandemic in the present day, about half of U.S. adults say it modified the best way they now use know-how, with youthful folks particularly inclined to say this.
The pandemic additionally intersected with long-standing digital divides, and in some ways introduced them into the highlight. For instance, we’ve lengthy seen variations by revenue in who has entry to know-how. And throughout the pandemic, lower-income teens had been extra prone to report tech-related challenges with schoolwork, resembling needing to finish homework on a cellphone or over public Wi-Fi.
Amongst People who say COVID-19 modified the best way they use know-how, these with decrease incomes are much less prone to say these modifications have made their lives simpler (in October 2024). Nonetheless, the most important shares no matter revenue say these modifications have made their lives each simpler and tougher.
Jump to more details on how COVID-19 changed technology use in America.
Trying forward: Are we prepared for the subsequent well being emergency?
People’ expectations for the nation’s response to a future well being emergency seem considerably constructive in contrast with the critiques and divisiveness they affiliate with the coronavirus response.
Greater than twice as many say the U.S. would do higher with a future well being emergency (40%) than say we’d do worse (16%), although many People (43%) say we’d do about the identical as we did with how the nation dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.
About six-in-ten (61%) assume the general public well being system would do a minimum of a considerably good job coping with a future well being emergency; a good bigger share (69%) assume folks in their very own group would do a superb job.
A bigger share of Democrats (73%) than Republicans (50%) assume the general public well being system within the U.S. would do a superb job coping with a future well being emergency. However comparable majorities of each Democrats (72%) and Republicans (68%) specific confidence in their very own communities to reply nicely.
