As the holiday season begins, the public sees in-person gatherings as more of a risk than it did before.
A new Axios-Ipsos poll shows that 71% believe there is a large or moderate risk associated with “attending in-person gatherings of friends and family outside your household.” That’s up 9 percentage points since this time last month.
Twenty-one percent of respondents in November said doing so would only present a small risk, and 7% said there would be no risk. In the middle of October, 29% said there would only be a small risk in doing so, and 9% said there would be no risk.
The poll was conducted from Nov. 13 to 16, surveying 1,092 adults. The margin of error for the poll was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The October poll was conducted from Oct. 16 to 19 and surveyed 1,001 adults. It carried a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
At the beginning of the pandemic, concern over gathering with friends and family started out high. Eighty-one percent of respondents surveyed between April 10 and 13 said they felt there was a large or moderate risk associated with those get-togethers. Concern hit its lowest point in early June but has steadily increased since.
Concern over the dangers of other activities, such as dining in at a restaurant, going to the grocery store, or traveling for the upcoming holiday season, also increased.
The rapid increase in concern may reflect the spikes in coronavirus cases happening in states across the country. Over 166,000 cases were reported on Monday, according to the New York Times. On Friday, 181,196 cases were reported, making it the highest number of cases reported in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. This week, the United States hit 11 million confirmed cases of the virus.
Many governors have warned residents to limit family gatherings severely, fearing hospitals could become overrun as the winter begins. Last Friday, California released new guidance for private gatherings, prohibiting ones that include more than three households. The state has also increased restrictions for businesses in most counties.
“California is pulling an emergency brake,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement on Monday. “California is experiencing the fastest increase in cases we have seen yet — faster than what we experienced at the outset of the pandemic or even this summer. The spread of COVID-19, if left unchecked, could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes.”
In November’s survey, 45% of those interviewed said they planned to celebrate the holidays with their immediate family or those they lived with. Eight percent said they “plan to celebrate with a small group of people outside of your household who will all self isolate or quarantine together.” Seventeen percent said they planned to see friends and family like normal, and 29% said they hadn’t yet made plans.
