How have Americans dealt with the impact of COVID-19?

Many are feeling optimistic about the vaccine rollout in the US, but there’s no question the last year has been difficult for many Americans. The YouGov Personality Study 2021 examines how many of the changes brought on by the pandemic have affected how Americans feel about themselves and their communities.

The most common view among Americans is that life has gotten worse (43%) during the pandemic. Across age groups, this tends to be the most common belief. But it’s not all bad: one in five (19%) Americans say their lives have gotten better, with young people being especially likely (29%) to say this.

Most Americans say they’ve found it easy to deal with the pandemic

Although the most common view is that life has gotten worse since the onset of the pandemic, that doesn’t necessarily mean Americans have found it difficult to adjust. Among US adults, most say things have been easy (59%) rather than difficult (37%).

In general, women have found it more difficult to cope with the pandemic than men have, at 44% vs 31%. About two-thirds of men (65%) say they have found it easy to manage life with regards to the pandemic. About half (53%) of women agree.

What parts of the pandemic have Americans found most difficult to manage?

When it comes to which effects of the pandemic Americans have struggled most with, 30% say not being able to freely go out has been the most difficult aspect. Fewer (19%) say it’s been difficult to go without family visits, and 13% say not being able to socialize with other people has been the most challenging thing.

Americans aged 55 and above are about twice as likely as 18-34 year olds to say that not being able to see family members has been the most difficult aspect of dealing with coronavirus restrictions (24% vs 13%).

See full results here.

Methodology: Total sample size was 2,242 US adults 18+. Fieldwork was undertaken between March 11 – 15, 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).