Americans' Path Back To Normality

A recent report from Gallup has found that increasing numbers of Americans are putting the pandemic behind them and dropping measures such as social distancing or avoiding socializing. Gallup states that fewer than one in five Americans (18 percent) now say they are mostly or completely isolating themselves from nonhousehold members compared to a peak of 75 percent at the early stages of the pandemic last April.

Some aspects of life are returning to normality quicker than others. Just under 60 percent of the U.S. public state that socializing with friends and family have returned to complete normality while 52 percent say the same for shopping. The pandemic's toll on health is still evident with 43 and 39 percent of people stating that their physical and mental health have returned to complete normality, respectively. Travel also still has a long way to go with only 29 percent of Gallup's respondents reporting that this aspect of their lives is completely normal.