Most Americans don’t expect life to return to normal anytime soon

With the two-year milestone of the pandemic nearing and the Omicron variant surging, Americans are losing hope that life will return to normal anytime soon.

Three in 10 believe the pandemic will never end and that COVID-19 will remain endemic for the foreseeable future, according to HealthCareInsider’s 2022 COVID-19 Attitudes Survey. Only four in 10 Americans expect life to return to normal in the coming year, down from 60% a year ago.

Among other highlights of the survey:

Confidence in vaccines is rising. Although just half of Americans in last year’s survey believed a COVID-19 vaccine would help end the pandemic, that number jumped 10 points to 61% in the 2022 survey. Still, 21% don’t believe the vaccine will play a role in ending the pandemic. Even after (or if) the pandemic ends, many Americans still have concerns about the future. About two-thirds are worried about the possibility of another pandemic, with 28% saying they are very concerned.

Many people are resuming normal activities. Asked when they would be most comfortable resuming normal activity, the greatest number of Americans (37%) said after herd immunity is achieved. Another 22% said they never will be comfortable, because COVID-19 has made them more cautious about returning to normal activity.

However, an equal percentage said they already are open to resuming normal activity or never changed their routine in the first place. When it comes to specific activities of normal life, such as shopping and traveling, many said they already are comfortable.

Some lifestyle changes will be permanent. COVID-19 changed the way people approach work, shopping, health care and other activities of daily life, and many Americans believe these changes are here to stay. Thirty percent said the trend most likely to continue after the pandemic ends is increased online shopping. About one-quarter believe working from home is here to stay, and 12% said it will be the practice of wearing a mask in public.

New variants affect travel and entertainment. Nearly two-thirds of respondents reported increasing health precautions either somewhat or a lot because of the new variant. With Omicron spreading rapidly, many Americans decided to limit holiday travel, family gatherings and other activities.

Thirty-seven percent of adults said they limit travel when a new variant such Omicron is present, and 34% limit live entertainment such as concerts or sporting events. Twenty-eight percent may limit family gatherings.

Finances are being affected. Many people are altering life events and financial decisions. Six in 10 are putting off travel because of the pandemic, while 44% said they have canceled or delayed family gatherings. Ten percent delayed getting married, while 7% delayed having children and 6% put off college. Twelve percent delayed buying a house, while a similar percentage put off education or purchasing a major appliance.

Thirteen percent of Americans worry that their investments will fall, while only 4% see their investments rising in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, a similar number have concerns about their savings running out and their debts rising.

However, not all the predictions are negative. Eight percent of Americans believe their savings will increase because of the pandemic, and 7% believe they can get a better job.