As leaders grapple with flattening the COVID-19 curve and getting the economy moving, how do Americans feel? According to a recent Gallup poll, only 20% of Americans say they would “return to their normal activities once the government lifts restrictions and businesses and schools start to reopen,” compared to 71% of Americans who say they would “wait to see what happens.”
Men (22%), those aged 18-29 (25%) and 50-64 (24%), rural and small town Americans (23%), Republicans (31%), and working Americans (20%) are the more likely to go back to normal “immediately.” Women (74%), those aged 30-49 (76%) and 65 years and older (73%), city dwellers (75%), suburbanites (73%), Democrats (79%) and Independents (71%) are more likely to “wait and see what happens.”
In the coming weeks, the president and governors will decide when to open up businesses and ease the public back into normal daily life. These numbers suggest most Americans prefer caution over speed.
