COVID Survey Results: There’s light at the end of the tunnel

What a year it’s been. Through all the hardships we’ve endured, we’ve built resilience, a new sense of community and hope for what’s to come now that we see a light at the end of this long tunnel.

We recently checked in with our CREDO members like you to see how life has changed during the pandemic year, how prepared you think we are for another big crisis, and your plans for a vaccinated world. 

After more than 4,000 great responses to our survey, here are the results.

After the past year, how prepared do you feel our country is for a future crisis or pandemic?

When it comes to how our members think our country is prepared to respond to another big crisis, we’re all still feeling a bit shell shocked from the incompetent and botched response from the Trump administration. Even though we’re on the right track, as millions are vaccinated each day and our government now believes in science instead of conspiracy theories, our members still hold some hesitations that we’d be well prepared for another pandemic in the future, with only around 14% saying our country would be “very” or “extremely” prepared.

How prepared do you feel, personally, for a future crisis or pandemic?

On the other hand, CREDO members feel more certain that they, individually, will be better prepared for the next big crisis.

Did you expect things would be better or worse than they are right now with our pandemic response?

Similarly, some of our members still hold healthy skepticism about our country’s current response to the crisis. While a full majority believe the response is “somewhat” or “far” better than they had expected, a good number of CREDO members feel the response is about what they predicted, or a bit worse.

Do you have stronger preferences for any of these lifestyle choices after the last year?

Over the past year, we’ve adapted to a new normal and came accustomed to a whole set of new lifestyle choices. As we look to a life after the pandemic, CREDO members aren’t yet ready to part with these new ways of living — and we don’t blame them! The top five include avoiding large gatherings, access to open space, using hand sanitizer, avoiding public transportation, and living near family. 

Have you developed any of these habits over the past year that you plan to continue after the pandemic?

Likewise, a majority of respondents expect to continue new habits they picked up over the last year, and the top response was keeping extra essentials at home.

After the pandemic ends, which activities are you most excited about doing again?

When thinking about what our members are most excited for, a majority highly anticipate returning to some old activities this year, and traveling and eating at restaurants top the list.

After the last year, have you developed a greater appreciation for any of the following?

Not surprisingly, our members developed a greater appreciation for health care workers during the last year, along with “strong crisis leadership” (which we were sorely lacking for much of the pandemic), virus science, our family and friend, and in-person interaction.

How would you compare the Biden Administration’s pandemic response to the Trump Administration’s?

This one speaks for itself.

Vaccine questions

Next, we asked our members a series of questions about vaccines. Here are the highlights:

• More than 65% of our respondents have received a vaccine.
• More than 43% of those vaccinated indicate their lifestyle hasn’t changed much, while 22% believe they are able safely do things they couldn’t do before. (Here are some recently updated guidelines from the CDC about what fully vaccinated people can now do.)
• More than 76% plan to get a vaccine.
• The biggest concern about receiving a vaccine was regarding side effects. (Here’s some additional CDC guidance on side effects)