2021 CBS News polling: What Americans thought about COVID-19, Biden, the January 6 attack and more

2021 was a year of ups and downs in the minds of the American public.

The year began with public concern about the state of U.S. democracy, yet positive ratings for newly-elected President Joe Biden; ratings that would turn more negative over the course of the year. In the spring, there was some optimism about the pandemic as vaccine rates rose and then some concern as a new COVID variant emerged at year's end.  Many of the political divisions we've seen in recent years endured throughout 2021 but, all in all, Americans are feeling pretty good about 2022.

CBS News polled thousands of people across the country this year getting their opinions on a range of issues. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from CBS News polling in 2021: