When do majority of Utahns believe life will be back to normal?

The majority of Utahns believe that life after the COVID-19 pandemic has returned to normal by this winter at the latest – and almost a third will see it sooner.

A new poll for Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City found that 6% of Utahns say it should only be a month or two before they can get past the deadly virus, while most Utahns 25% expect another three to six months and 21% to winter.

But 36% of Utahns who say it will take a year or more to recover from a pandemic that occurred more than a year ago, including 18% who say it will take several years. Another 13% told respondents they weren’t sure when that day was coming.

“I think the normal has changed,” said James Thorpe, 54, a longtime machinist in Roy looking for a desk job fighting prostate cancer. “Things will loosen up a bit from time to time, but as far as it’s back to what it was before, I think it will take at least a year.”

Until recently, Thorpe said he expected Utah to make a faster recovery.

“I thought it was faster than that, but when I started seeing all the paranoia people suffering about the vaccines, I don’t get it,” he said. Thorpe said he and his wife, who also has health issues, both got the shots as soon as they were available but are still taking precautions to avoid the virus.

Currently, only about a third of Utahns are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. With many shooting locations now experiencing a significant slowdown, the state is focusing on finding ways to attract Utahns who are reluctant to be vaccinated.

Thorpe said more vaccinations would make a difference in the amount of time he sees to get back to normal.

“There are risks. But it has a lot more advantages than disadvantages. People have to think broader. You have to think of more than yourself, ”he said. Some members of his extended family were reluctant to get vaccinated, Thorpe said, and that “just means we’re sadly not spending time with them.”

Todd Kunz, 59, a half-tired auto mechanic and office manager who lives in Leeds, Washington County, believes it will be a few years before Utah is back in a place where “people aren’t afraid to communicate, or you can go to a shop and have a friendly interaction, ”he defines normal life.

Kunz said he has heart problems and a son with sickle cell anemia but will not be vaccinated against COVID-19 because of the side effects he had from a flu shot years ago. He said he doesn’t think the St. George area has been as affected by the coronavirus as other places.

“I’ll just tell you that this is disproportionate in this particular area,” said Kunz. “I can definitely tell you here that it has been much overdone. Not to mention that this is a tourist town. ”

He said most people don’t wear masks in public, “something that should have happened a long time ago.”

Despite his attitude, Kunz fears that the life he knew will never really return.

“I don’t think it ever will be. Never. As a result, we are exposed to constant change. So things will never be the same, ”he said. “Are you getting better? In any case. Are you getting better here? Yes, they are getting better. “

The latest poll results reflect some of the optimism about a fall rebound that surfaced a month ago, though the number of utahns who say it will take a year or more to get back to normal has been since the last Survey has just risen from over a quarter of those surveyed to the 36%.

The latest Deseret News / Hinckley Institute of Politics poll was conducted April 30 through May 6 of 1,000 registered voters in Utah by independent pollster Scott Rasmussen. The survey has an error rate of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Rasmussen, who lives in Florida, said the increase in the number of Utahns who believe they will have to wait a year or more for normalcy should come as no surprise.

“The response to this pandemic has been up and down from the start. It’s a roller coaster ride. That goes for every aspect, ”said the pollster. Reasons likely include the change in definitions of normal appearance, as well as the fact that many public health precautions continue.

“People thought a few months ago, ‘boy, once the vaccine is here we will be vaccinated and everything will be normal immediately.’ And then people got vaccinated, but they still go out and still see how everyone is social distancing and how people wear masks, ”Rasmussen said.

As a result, he said, people “will be a little careful when they leave this stage”.

Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, described Utahns as “cautious optimism” for the future.

“What we’ve seen during this pandemic is that you can’t take anything for granted,” Perry said. “During this pandemic, there were just no certainties. People are hopeful and they are hopeful and they watch closely. That’s the key to take away. “

Utahns are seeing falling case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths, and increasing vaccinations, especially now that 12-15 year olds have the chance, he said. They are also looking for heads of state to signal when it is safe to stop wearing masks and take other precautions against the virus.

“As our elected officials and others begin modeling normal behavior over the next few months, there is no question that the Utahns are ready to go back to normal,” Perry said. “But they look at what has happened in the past 12 to 14 months, and they are careful about it.”

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