Fewer than 1 in 5 Americans still social distancing, poll says

(KSNT) -- Despite coronavirus variants causing infections and hospitalizations to tick up, many Americans have chosen to eliminate social distancing from their daily routines.

According to a recent Gallup poll, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans now say they are completely or mostly isolating themselves from people outside their households. A number that once peaked at 75% near the start of the pandemic in April 2020 is now at 18%.

The number of people has steadily dwindled in 2021, the poll found. In March, 38% of respondents said they were mostly or completely isolating themselves to stay "socially distant," but by March that number had fallen to 22%.

According to researchers, almost half of Americans polled, or 47%, say they have made "no attempt whatsoever" in the past day to isolate themselves from people outside their households.

The findings are from the June update of Gallup's monthly COVID-19 tracking study, conducted online June 14-20.

In follow-up questions, 59% of U.S. adults said their social life is completely back to normal, while 52% said the same about their shopping behaviors. Also, 49% of those polled said their personal finances have been "restored," while 45% said the same about their dining-out habits.

Included in the numbers are the 15% of Americans who say their lives overall are completely back to normal as well as those who say they are back to normal in only specific areas.

In contrast, 29% of Americans report that travel has been restored to pre-pandemic levels, while 30% say entertainment or recreation is fully back to normal. Additionally, about 4 in 10 Americans describe the areas of physical health, mental health and exercise as completely back to normal for them.

When it comes to parents of school-aged children under 18, about 51% said their parenting and how they are raising their children are back to normal, with only 34% saying this about school.

Researchers also found that 49% of full-time or part-time employed adults say work is completely back to normal for them.