Here’s what people want to do first after getting the COVID-19 vaccine

As vaccines roll out across the world, Americans are starting to plan for their lives after the pandemic is over. So what’s on the top of their lists? When we asked Americans the one thing they want to do first once they get all their shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, the largest number of Americans say the first thing they plan do is see family and friends (15%). Beyond that, the most popular choices were:

• Travel domestically (5%)
• Go to a bar/restaurant (3%)
• Go to an entertainment center like a movie theater or a concert (3%)
• Travel internationally (3%)
• Go back to your workplace (2%)
• Gather with others in a public space (2%)
• Stay at a hotel (2%)
• Go to a fitness center/studio/gym (2%)
• Host a party at your home (1%)
• Take public transportation (1%)
• Go shopping or to a mall (1%)

5% answered “other.” 37% said they had no special plans, and 16% said they didn’t know.

Priorities aside from seeing family and friends varied across age groups. While travel was near the top, younger people favored farther destinations.

• Young adults between 18 and 34 were most likely to have plans. At the top of their list is international travel (5%), followed by entertainment centers (5%), then visiting bars and restaurants (4%).
• 35- to 54-year-olds are planning domestic travel (6%), then international travel (4%), followed by gathering with others in a public space (3%).
• Americans older than 55 are say they want to travel domestically (6%), then go to bars and restaurants (5%), then travel internationally (2%).
• This oldest group of Americans were also least likely to have plans other than visiting friends and family; 48% say they had no special plans, compared to only 24% of 18- to 34-year-olds.

Meanwhile, two in five Americans (40%) say they’re saving more now than they were before the pandemic, and most people who have plans for the money say they’re saving it for travel.

• One in five Americans (19%) say they’re saving for a domestic trip by plane, while 16% say they’re saving for a domestic road trip. 15% say they’re saving for an international trip.
• 7% say they’re saving for a party at their home, and 12% say they’re saving for something else.
• 42% say they have no special plans for the savings, and 8% say they don’t know.
• Young adults 18 to 34 years old were more likely to have plans – only 31% said they had no plans, compared to 44% of 35- to 54-year-olds, and 50% of those older than 55.
• Young adults were also more likely to be saving for an international trip – 21% compared to 11% of 35- to 54-year-olds, and 14% of those older than 55.

With many Americans believing they’ll be vaccinated by this summer, brands hoping to take advantage of the rapid burst of activity should begin planning now. In particular, brands hoping to target young adults need to begin their work, as people in this group are actively planning their first moves after vaccination.