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Only a few years ago, Americans began taking significant precautions to shield themselves from COVID. Actions like staying home as much as possible, wearing masks during grocery store runs, and keeping six feet apart from others were common across the country.

As time passed and vaccine availability increased, more Americans became comfortable with going back to their regular lives. The travel industry began to see a comeback, the masks came off, and people no longer feared going within six feet of one another.

Three months into 2024, it's pretty safe to say the United States has largely returned to how things were before COVID hit. In fact, a new poll from the Pew Research Center shines a light on just how broadly Americans have moved beyond the fear of this virus.

Breaking down the numbers on concerns about COVID

Today, only 20% of the country still views coronavirus as a "major threat." GOP-leaning Independents and Republicans share this sentiment at 12%, whereas 28% of Democratic-leaning Independents and Democrats agree.

Even just a couple of years ago, 8% more Republicans and Republican-adjacent voters, along with 29% more Democrats and Democratic-adjacent voters viewed COVID as a formidable hazard.

Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) itself has amended its guidance in ways that indicate the virus is less dangerous than before.

What prompted these changes over the past two years?

Today, people have gotten vaccinated, boosted, and received multiple doses of each inoculation over various time periods. At the height of COVID, public health officials assured everyone that taking these vaccines would protect them and pave a return back to normal life.

This year, it seems most people feel they've done everything necessary to protect themselves and others around them. By this logic, there would be no reason for Americans to reject normalcy or embrace COVID restrictions in perpetuity.

Even in 2022, some people warned that extensive recommendations and/or mandates pertaining to COVID would cause people to tune it all out due to exasperation with constant inundation.

New data that shows the overwhelming majority of Americans no longer view COVID as a major threat could be the collective result of all the aforementioned factors.