COVID-19: which areas of American life have returned to normality?

Jul 21, 2021

With the collaboration of Statista.

Americans are increasingly reporting a return to more normal activities, such as this social gathering over a meal

A recent report shows that America is beginning to feel more 'normal' for citizens. Image: Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

Niall McCarthy

Data Journalist, Statista

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A recent Gallup report has shown that the lives of Americans are returning to normal, as they begin to stop taking measures such as social distancing.
Just under 60% of the U.S. public have said socializing with friends and family has returned to complete normality.
Other areas of life such as travel have a long way to go, however, with only 29% of respondents reporting that this is normal.

A recent report from Gallup has found that increasing numbers of Americans are putting the pandemic behind them and dropping measures such as social distancing or avoiding socializing. Gallup states that fewer than one in five Americans (18 percent) now say they are mostly or completely isolating themselves from nonhousehold members compared to a peak of 75 percent at the early stages of the pandemic last April.

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Some aspects of life are returning to normality quicker than others. Just under 60 percent of the U.S. public state that socializing with friends and family have returned to complete normality while 52 percent say the same for shopping. The pandemic's toll on health is still evident with 43 and 39 percent of people stating that their physical and mental health have returned to complete normality, respectively. Travel also still has a long way to go with only 29 percent of Gallup's respondents reporting that this aspect of their lives is completely normal.

this chart shows which aspects of Americans' lives have reportedly returned to normal

A return to normal? Image: Statista

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What is the World Economic Forum doing about access to vaccines?

In 2000, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance was launched at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, with an initial pledge of $750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The aim of Gavi is to make vaccines more accessible and affordable for all - wherever people live in the world.

Along with saving an estimated 10 million lives worldwide in less than 20 years,through the vaccination of nearly 700 million children, - Gavi has most recently ensured a life-saving vaccine for Ebola.

At Davos 2016, we announced Gavi's partnership with Merck to make the life-saving Ebola vaccine a reality.

The Ebola vaccine is the result of years of energy and commitment from Merck; the generosity of Canada’s federal government; leadership by WHO; strong support to test the vaccine from both NGOs such as MSF and the countries affected by the West Africa outbreak; and the rapid response and dedication of the DRC Minister of Health. Without these efforts, it is unlikely this vaccine would be available for several years, if at all.

Read more about the Vaccine Alliance, and how you can contribute to the improvement of access to vaccines globally - in our Impact Story.

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