Americans divided on return to regular routines: poll

Americans are divided on returning to their regular routines about three months after the country shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a poll released Wednesday. 

A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that 49 percent of respondents said they feel comfortable returning to their normal routines after the shutdowns, compared to 50 percent who say they do not. In May’s poll, 41 percent said they felt comfortable returning to regular life, and 58 percent said they did not. 

The level of comfort is split among partisan lines, with 73 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 23 percent of Democrats polled saying they are comfortable returning to regular life.

Out of those who are not comfortable going back to normal life, 17 percent say they will probably or definitely return to their regular routines by the end of the year, while 32 percent say regular life will not begin until 2021. 

A total of 47 percent of respondents said the worst of the pandemic had already occurred, while 46 percent said the worst is yet to come. This is more evenly split than in May, when 52 percent said the worst is yet to come, and in April, when 80 percent expected the worst ahead. 

Respondents were also split on their expectations for the economy, with 36 percent saying it’s worsening, 23 percent saying it’s getting better and 36 percent saying it has stabilized. These views are also split by party, with 40 percent of Republicans saying the economy is recovering and 54 percent of Democrats saying the economy will continue to worsen. 

The CNN poll was conducted June 2-5, and the news outlet noted almost all of the responses were obtained before the report showing a decrease in unemployment was released Friday. 

The poll surveyed 1,259 people and had a total margin of error of 3.4 percentage points. 

The U.S. has confirmed more than 1.9 million cases of coronavirus, leading to at least 112,093 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.