A Pew Research Center analysis of official reports of COVID-19-related deaths across the country shows how the dynamics of the pandemic have shifted over the past two years.
Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly six-in-ten U.S. workers who say their jobs can mainly be done from home (59%) are working from home all or most of the time.
Trust in scientists and medical scientists has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, with 29% of U.S. adults saying they have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public. This is down from 40% in November 2020 and 35% in January 2019, before COVID-19 emerged. Other prominent groups โ including the military, police officers and public school principals โ have also seen their ratings decline.
Americans are increasingly critical of the response to COVID-19 from elected officeholders and public health officials. Positive ratings of public health officials, such as those at the CDC, have fallen 10 points since August. And 60% of U.S. adults say theyโve felt confused as a result of changes to recommendations on how to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Public confidence in scientists has increased during the pandemic, though not among all Americans. We discuss the impact of trust on views of COVID-19 vaccines.
Nearly half of U.S. adults say the pandemic has driven people in their community apart. Many see a long road to recovery: About one-in-five say life in their community will never get back to the way it was before COVID-19.