Cliff’s Take: The Great Unmasking
It was just over a year ago that most of America shut down. The pandemic has been a long, arduous road.
But things are finally looking different, more normal. There is more traffic and people walking on the sidewalks without masks. State governments across the country are easing up restrictions. And, the CDC announced that the vaccinated are safe to resume their pre-COVID lives, mask-less.
Again, the vaccine has made this transformation possible. To date, 152m adults Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
With this, we are now seeing profound change to how we live and behave, just as we saw in the early days of COVID. We especially should note that as the CDC and government change their policy positions, (most) Americans are following suit.
The data is striking.
Below I have selected the most relevant polling data points of the week.
- Transformative inversion. The start of the pandemic precipitated a retreat into our homes. Now, we’re seeing the opposite. As vaccinations pick up, Americans are reemerging. For the first time since the pandemic began, less than half say that going back to their pre-COVID lives poses a risk.
- Viral attenuation. As this reemergence takes place, COVID slides in importance. It is now tied for first place with the economy. Biden – and America – must now focus on a new, post-pandemic America.
- Hesitant distrust. Though vaccines made this transformation possible, one in five Americans still don’t plan to get one, according to the latest wave of Axios-Ipsos tracking data. The CDC will need to double down and focus on the unvaccinated. But will their message fall on deaf ears? Look at the CDC’s trust levels among the hesitant.
- Crowds and closed spaces. As we move towards our post-COVID normal, vaccine passports are still under debate. Should we implement them? And if so, how? Axios-Ipsos data show that Americans are on board with requiring a vaccine passport for activities with a higher perceived risk, like flying. But we are less preoccupied with more habitual behaviors, like going out to eat or getting a haircut. Makes sense.
- Trump's anger. Beneath this broader reemergence, our perennial societal discontent is still very much there. A recent Reuters/Ipsos survey shows just how deep the GOP frustration runs right now. And, that Trump is still the party leader. How does that saying go? The more things change, the more they stay the same.
To sum it all up, the CDC’s announcement comes as many Americans were shaking off the restrictions anyway. Mask use is out, socializing and enjoying life is in. But will the promise of a risk-free, mask-less summer entice more of the skeptics to get vaccinated? If trust in CDC numbers are any indication, this gambit is more likely to fall on deaf ears than not.
I think ultimately that the vaccine “hesitants” will be nudged towards the vaccine by policy shifts both big and small. A vaccine passport here; a school vaccination requirement there. Let's see.
Welcome to our post-COVID world.
For more information, please contact:
Clifford Young
President, U.S.
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2016
[email protected]
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