cognizant of changes in its severity, including this summer, as the highly contagious Delta variant swept through the country; this fall, as it tapered; and more recently, as the Omicron variant emerged as a new threat.
In each case, perceptions of whether the national situation was getting better or worse moved accordingly.Yet, Americans' concern about their personal risk of falling ill remains relatively low, and they are not inclined to return to stringent social distancing.
That could be partly attributable to reports that the Omicron variant, while highly contagious, may not produce symptoms that are as severe as for previous versions of the coronavirus.