Health Care

More in new poll say pandemic is over, but fewer than half say lives are back to normal

COVID-19 vaccines are readied for use at a clinic, Nov. 17, 2022, in Richmond, Va.

More Americans in a new Gallup poll say they believe the COVID-19 pandemic is over, though fewer than half of those surveyed said their lives are back to normal. 

The survey, published Wednesday, found that 64 percent of respondents said the COVID-19 pandemic is over, while 36 percent think otherwise. 

In February, 49 percent of respondents said they believed the global pandemic was over. 

Along political party lines, 84 percent of Republican respondents, 65 percent of independents and 51 percent of Democrats said they believe the pandemic is over. The findings mark the first time a majority of Democrats said the pandemic is over, the survey giant noted.

When asked whether their lives will ever get completely back to the “normal” that existed before the pandemic, 43 percent of all respondents said their normal lives have resumed, while 41 percent said they do not expect their lives to ever go back to pre-pandemic normalcy. 

Fifteen percent said their lives are not yet back to pre-pandemic normalcy but eventually will be, the poll said. 

Broken down by party affiliation, a majority of Republican respondents — 56 percent — said their lives are completely back to normal after the pandemic, compared to 40 percent of independents and 39 percent of Democrats. 

The poll comes two months after President Biden signed into law ​​a GOP-led resolution to end a national emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Gallup poll was conducted from May 30 to June 6 with 4,556 respondents. The poll’s margin of error is 2 percentage points.

–Updated at 1:13 p.m.