Poll Finds Many In Bay Area Still Concerned About COVID-19, Believe 'Normal' Still Months Away
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – More than two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a poll finds many Bay Area residents remain concerned about the virus and say returning to "normal" remains months away.
According to results of the Bay Area Council Poll released Thursday, 49% were concerned about contracting COVID-19 and 59% worried about family members becoming infected.
The poll found near-unanimous concern about the pandemic's impact on mental health, with 85% of respondents concerned about the impacts on children and youth. Nearly 80% of those surveyed are concerned about mental health impacts on adults.
Respondents were also asked when they would feel safe returning to normal. About 30% said right now, almost triple the number compared to this time last year, amid the rollout of the first COVID-19 vaccines.
Meanwhile, about 32% of voters said normal would come within the year, another 24% said it would come in the next 1-3 years. The number of people who said normal may never return is 12%, which is double compared to last year.
"The poll findings may have significant implications for efforts to get workers back into offices and transit and reenergize downtown business districts and the many small local service and retail shops that have been decimated by pandemic shutdowns," the council said in a statement.
Bay Area Council president and CEO Jim Wunderman said, "Restoring public confidence for returning to work, transit, downtowns and all the other activities that make life worth living must be among our highest priorities."
The survey also found 68% of voters are concerned about the impacts of the pandemic on the Bay Area's economic future. The poll found BIPOC voters expressing greater concern about COVID-19's impact on the economy (74%) compared to White voters (62%).
"They were essential workers and were more vulnerable, had greater risk of being exposed to the disease, and I think, too, we've seen the shutdown of our downtown areas too," Bay Area Council spokesperson Rufus Jeffris said at a briefing Thursday.
The poll of 1,000 residents was conducted by EMC Research between March 2-9 and has a margin of error of plus/minus 3.1%.