The American public has been living with the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year, and new national data suggests that a majority of 54% still think the worst of the virus is yet to come.
New data from the Pew Research Center reveals a bleak outlook on the pandemic among most Americans, despite being better known about the virus and vaccines that are available.
This pessimistic sentiment has fallen from the highest levels of November 2020, when 71% believed that the worst of COVID-19 had yet to reach the United States. winter outbreaks of the virus, and before the resurgence seen this past summer with the appearance of the delta variant.
Like other issues, the sentiment expressed about the state of COVID-19 in America is largely partisan; more Republicans believe the country has better control of the virus, with 53% feeling another major outbreak appear around the corner.
In contrast, 59% of Democrats believe the United States is destined for another increase.
People have the same tendencies depending on their vaccination status. Fifty-six percent of unvaccinated adults feel that the worst is yet to come, compared to 53 percent of vaccinated individuals who feel the same way.
Other topics surveyed in the latest Pew survey include reactions to vaccinations, public health restrictions, and official approval ratings. Most of these are divided similarly throughout the holidays.
These data come as U.S. regulators are working on approving booster vaccines to help support immunity as the nation continues to fight COVID-19. Drug manufacturers are also developing vaccines for children, namely Pfizer, as schools reopen and more children get sick with delta-caused infections.
Only 54.6% of Americans have been completely vaccinated, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a number the United States has stopped for several months. President Biden has recently implemented larger mandates that require federal employees to be vaccinated or tested weekly, and is consulting with major companies having vaccine mandates in the private sector to help build the country’s immunity.