A newly released Monmouth University Poll reveals that 70% of Americans agree it’s time to accept that COVID is here to stay and move on with our lives. I couldn’t agree more. 78% of the 70% who agreed it was time to move on “report having contracted COVID, and 65% of those who claim they have not been infected” Even those who have not yet been infected with the virus seem to be saying enough is enough. Surprisingly exposure to the virus does not appear to be the primary factor in deciding whether it is “time to move forward.”
According to the poll, a majority of Americans support certain preventative measures such as social distancing and face masks, but not others such as mandated workplace vaccinations. Murray stated that there is still support from the public for some level of safety regarding COVID. Murray said that there is an acknowledgement that federal laws have not been successful or have not been widely accepted. They don’t mention that the majority of Americans have supported these measures for years. We don’t support the government forcing us into this.
The poll shows Americans’ dismay at President Biden’s inability to manage the pandemic. The intransigence of large segments of the population regarding vaccination is a key factor in Americans’ willingness to live with COVID. Murray stated that it seems unlikely that herd immunity can ever be achieved by preventative measures. Really? Talk about partisan. How did the director extrapolate this from the data? According to science, the fastest way for herd immunity to develop is for healthy people to get and recover from COVID. But that’s okay.
More Americans feel that Biden did a poor job handling the pandemic (53%) while 43% of Americans think he has done a great job. Biden’s rating a month ago was evenly divided (46% good job, 46% poor job). However, the ratings for state governors’ handling COVID have slightly improved (54% good job and 41% poor job, respectively, as compared to 50% good and 41% terrible in December). Monmouth did not poll anyone living in Gavin Newsom’s California.
40% of Americans say they have had COVID, or believe they have it. 27% also reported that they had it confirmed by a test. 36% of people who have been vaccinated report having also had COVID, while 61% of unvaccinated claim to have had the virus. Half of the population is very or somewhat concerned about acquiring a new COVID version. While the number of Americans who are concerned about their family members becoming seriously ill due to COVID has increased by 8% in December, it is still lower than 45% compared to September, when the delta variant began spreading.
It’s encouraging to see more Americans realize that COVID is here for the long-term. We can, and must, continue our lives. This poll makes me wonder where respondents get their news from and how this incessant drumbeat, filled with negative fear porn, has affected their perceptions of the pandemic.
