Majority of Americans remain patient about COVID-19 restrictions as optimism brews, poll finds

Grocery store&#039;s mask requirement sign.

(Image credit: Tamir Kalifa/Getty Images)

last updated 14 March 2021

Optimism is becoming the norm in the United States, as 64 percent of Americans believe the country is currently doing a good job of containing the coronavirus, a new CBS News/YouGov poll found. That figure serves as an outlier; since the pandemic began, polls have generally suggested only a minority were satisfied with the containment efforts. Just a month ago, for instance, the figure was 45 percent.

The boost was likely fortified not only by the falling infection rate, but also the sense that the vaccination drive is moving quickly and the expectation that the American Rescue Plan will provide economic relief. There's still a lot of caution though. A majority of Americans are hesitant to gather with their friends, go to the movies, or travel on a plane, and 64 percent of respondents said they'll remain "patient" with governments when it comes to removing coronavirus restrictions.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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