Poll: Two-thirds of Americans say life is at least somewhat back to pre-pandemic normal
CNN
Two-thirds of US adults now say their lives are at least somewhat back to normalcy, according to a new Gallup survey, reflecting a major shift in sentiments since last fall. Americans are more optimistic and less worried about coronavirus than at any point previously in the course of the pandemic, although disruptions due to the virus -- and partisan divides over its impact -- persist.
A 66% majority of Americans, the poll finds, now say that their lives have at least partially returned to a pre-pandemic normal. Of that, just 9% say things are completely back to normal, but another 57% say that things are somewhat back to normal. Another 34% say things haven't yet gone back to normal. For comparison, in October, 62% of the public said that their lives hadn't gone back to normal. There are few notable demographic divides on whether things are edging back toward normalcy, according to Gallup, with similar results across gender, age, regional and financial lines. There are, however, clear partisan differences. Last fall, Republicans were 46 percentage points likelier than Democrats to say things were at least somewhat back to normal. That gap has narrowed with Democrats' improving outlook, but Republicans are still 20 percentage points more likely than Democrats to say things are at least somewhat normal.President Joe Biden on Sunday delivers his first commencement address of the 2024 season at Morehouse College, where the president may for the first time in months have to confront the angst that’s been percolating on college campuses nationwide toward his administration’s policies on the Israel-Hamas war.
Arab and Palestinian Americans left a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday night frustrated they did not have a clear understanding of how the Biden administration might act upon their concerns as the Israel-Hamas war devastates the civilian population in Gaza, participants told CNN.