(STUDY FINDS) -- TROY, N.Y. — Here’s hoping you enjoyed the last movie or concert you attended, because if the results of a new survey are accurate, it may be a long, long time before such events are ever popular again. According to the research, 40% of Americans plan to avoid public spaces unless “absolutely necessary” long after the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.
The survey, commissioned by Vital Vio, asked 1,000 U.S. adults about how they envision every day life in the wake of the coronavirus. All in all, it looks like there are suddenly a whole lot more germaphobes in the land of the free. Over four in five (82%) said they are now more aware of, and concerned about, cleaning protocols in public areas. Additionally, 58% are more suspicious about their friends’ and family’s hygiene habits. Next year’s Thanksgiving could get interesting.
Even among those who said they will return to public spaces eventually, it isn’t going to happen immediately. A third will wait a few weeks, and 26% will wait one or two months. Some respondents (16%) went so far as to say that they’re unsure if they’ll ever feel comfortable out in public again.
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