Tracking the Return to Normal: Consumer Comfort
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Morning Consult has surveyed thousands of Americans to gauge the effects of the coronavirus on public opinion and consumer behavior across a wide range of categories, from politics and economics to shopping and dining. As the country has transitioned into a “new normal,” Morning Consult closely monitored how American attitudes are shifting in these later stages of the pandemic.
The Consumer Comfort tracker examines how comfortable the American public feels engaging in a range of different entertainment, socializing and travel activities as the pandemic lags on.
This tracker was updated monthly alongside the Return to Normal: Views on the Pandemic Tracker, which monitors the public's attitudes on the coronavirus, including how leadership has handled the pandemic, vaccination and economic impacts.
This tracker is no longer being updated. Explore more coverage on the return to normal here.
Key Takeaways
Comfort with going to the mall decreases: After hitting a new high of 77% in March, the public’s comfort with going to a shopping mall decreased 4 percentage points to 73%. Meanwhile, comfort with dining out ticked down 2 points from last month, from 79% to 77%. Comfort with these activities has remained relatively stable since this time last year: Comfort with going to the mall is up 1 point year over year, while comfort with going out to eat is up 2 points over the same period.
3 in 5 Americans feel comfortable going to a sporting event, concert: 60% of U.S. adults feel comfortable going to either a sporting event or a concert, a 2-point downtick from last month’s 62% for both activities. The share of Americans who said they feel comfortable going to a game is up 8 points from this time last year, while comfort with attending a concert is up 7 points from then.
57% of U.S. adults say they’re comfortable with domestic flying: It’s a decrease of 3 points from last month, when public comfort with taking a domestic flight hit a new high of 60%. Meanwhile, 70% of Americans said they feel comfortable staying at a chain hotel, a 2-point downtick from last month. Comfort with domestic flights and staying at a major hotel are up 7 points and 3 points, respectively, year over year.
Tracking Consumer Comfort With Socializing
Tracking Consumer Comfort With Entertainment
Tracking Consumer Comfort With Travel
Source of This Data
Methodology
Morning Consult's Return to Normal: Consumer Comfort relies on a monthly survey that measures how comfortable Americans feel doing day-to-day activities ranging from socializing to entertainment to traveling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest results are based on a survey of 2,202 U.S. adults, conducted May 4-7, 2023, with an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
As of May 2023, Morning Consult is no longer updating its Return to Normal: Consumer Comfort tracker. If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected].
About Morning Consult
Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com.
Email [email protected] to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.
Wesley Case is a research editor on the Industry Intelligence team, focusing on coverage of entertainment, brands and sports. Prior to joining Morning Consult, he was an editor at The Athletic and a features reporter and critic at The Baltimore Sun. Wesley graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in English and a concentration in journalism.
