US Public Opinion as to Whether “The Pandemic is Over,” September to October 2022

Abstract

AbstractImportanceUS public health guidance has increasingly shifted responsibility for actions to minimize ongoing impacts of COVID-19 onto individuals. During September to October 2022, the World Health Organization continued to characterize COVID-19 as a pandemic. Yet, public perceptions of the pandemic status of COVID-19 and its associations with COVID-19-related behaviors were unknown.ObjectiveTo assess US public opinion on the characterization of COVID-19 as a pandemic.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThe COVID-19 Outbreak Public Evaluation (COPE) Initiative internet-based surveys, administered to 4985 US adults during September to October 2022. Demographic quota sampling and survey weighting were employed to improve sample representativeness of the US population by age, sex, and combined race and ethnicity.ExposuresThe COVID-19 pandemic.Main Outcomes and MeasuresResponse to the statement, “The pandemic is over.”‘ Response options included Strongly agree, Somewhat agree, Neutral, Somewhat disagree, and Strongly disagree.ResultsOverall, 5015 US adults completed The COPE Initiative surveys (response rate, 56.2%), and 4985 (99.4%) provided complete information for all analyzed variables and were included in this analysis. Only 1657 (33.2%) respondents agreed with the statement “the pandemic is over,” while 2141 (43.0%) disagreed and the remaining 1187 (23.8%) were neutral about the statement. Agreement that the pandemic was over was most strongly associated with having received fewer COVID-19 vaccines, lesser concern about SARS-CoV-2 variant viruses, and less frequent engagement in COVID- 19 preventive behaviors, such as mask usage in public spaces, as well as increasingly conservative political ideology, roles as unpaid caregivers of both children and adults, younger age, male sex, and significant disabilities.Conclusions and RelevanceAs of September to October 2022, US public opinion was mixed on the characterization of COVID-19 as a pandemic. Belief the pandemic was over was associated with less frequent engagement in COVID-19 preventive\behaviors, highlighting the important role of public health communication. Demographic groups to prioritize tailored public health messaging about the pandemic status were identified. Continued assessment of public perceptions about the state of the pandemic is warranted entering Year 4 of the COVID-19 pandemic.Key PointsQuestionAs of September to October 2022, what was US public opinion as to whether COVID-19 remained a pandemic?FindingsIn this demographically representative survey study of 4985 US adults, only 1 in 3 respondents agreed with the statement “the pandemic is over;” 43% of adults disagreed. Agreement that the pandemic was over was associated with less engagement in COVID-19 preventive behaviors and more political conservatism.MeaningAs of September to October 2022, US public opinion was divided regarding the status of COVID-19 as a pandemic and is associated with COVID-19-related behaviors, underscoring important public health and policy implications of this designation.