Despite the recent surge in COVID cases and the emergence of new variants, a majority of Americans are not worried about contracting COVID. Interestingly, the level of concern is at its lowest point since the start of the pandemic.
Compared to the initial concern over the Omicron variant in late 2021, there is now less worry specifically about new variants.
In a recent poll conducted just before the FDA’s approval of new boosters, it was found that those who expressed concern about COVID were more likely to consider getting a booster shot.
As has been evident throughout the pandemic, concern, attention, and action are interconnected. Approximately 40% of respondents reported following news about new variants to some extent, and those who were more concerned about COVID tended to follow the news more closely.
Views on COVID remain highly influenced by political affiliations. Democrats, in general, express greater concern than Republicans and are more likely to plan on receiving boosters in the fall.
It is worth noting that similar divisions between Democrats and Republicans have consistently been observed when it comes to vaccines. Studies have also shown differing death rates in Republican-leaning counties.
Interestingly, Republicans appear to be the most pessimistic about the nation’s efforts in combating COVID while simultaneously expressing the least concern. This suggests that some of the national evaluation may be driven by partisan sentiment rather than an objective assessment of the risk.
Overall, a slim majority of Americans are optimistic about the nation’s efforts to address the virus in the coming months. However, this optimism is highly partisan, with Democrats being more optimistic compared to Republicans. Nevertheless, this level of optimism surpasses the sentiment toward other issues such as the economy or prices.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,335 U.S. adult residents interviewed between September 5-8, 2023. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as past vote. The margin of error is ±2.7 points.