Pollapalooza is our weekly polling roundup.It feels like summer with temperatures so high across the country. But, worrying about whether extreme weather is due to climate change is not helping to create a more relaxed summer vibe. The U.S. is seeing a growing number of people fully vaccinated against novel coronavirus. States are loosening or easing pandemic-related restrictions, and there is a decline in the number of COVID-19 new cases. Will the next few months be like any other summer vacation, barbecue or beach holiday?Recent polls suggest otherwise.According to a Monmouth University survey, 69 percent of Americans planned to attend a Fourth of July barbecue in the pre-pandemic halcyon days of summer 2019. Monmouth University conducted a similar poll this year and only 54% of Americans said they planned to attend a barbecue. A June 22-23 Ipsos poll found similar sentiments. The majority (55%) of Americans said they would celebrate Independence Day in the same way as last year but in a smaller manner than before COVID-19. 36% said they would celebrate Independence Day the same way as before COVID-19 and 8% said that they would be celebrating it bigger than ever.Monmouth also found that plans for July Fourth celebrations have fallen this year. Only 26 percent of Americans said they would go to a professional fireworks show (compared to 51 percent in 2019), and only 18 percent stated they were going to a parade, compared to 28 percent in 2019. The summer vacation plans aren't looking up either. Only 34% of Americans stated that their plans were the same as last year and 26% said that they had changed or cancelled their usual trip.Although Americans are not ready for normal summer, polls show that they feel more relaxed about the pandemic. Gallup polls from June 14-20 showed that Americans are feeling more relaxed about the pandemic. According to a Gallup poll, 8 percent of Americans said COVID-19 was the most serious problem facing the United States for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. This compares with 22 percent who named the government and 11% who listed race relations as the most important.Americans are not concerned about COVID-19 despite the fact that the more transmittable delta coronavirus is now causing public health professionals to question the lifting of mask mandates. According to Axios/Ipsos polls, 48% said they knew something about the variant. However, few people claimed that they are changing their behavior. 68% had visited family or friends in the last week, 65% had eaten out, and 65% had been to the store to buy groceries.Although it may be a shot-gun summer, things are slowly returning to a normal routine. However, we may not see the same thing as last year until 2022. Whatever holiday you celebrate, here's to a safe, hopeful weekend.Other polling bitesBiden approvalFiveThirtyEights Presidential Approval Tracker shows that 52.1 percent Americans approve of Biden's job as President, and 42.2 percent disapprove. This net approval rating is +9.9 percentage points. Last week's poll showed that 52.6 percent of Americans approved and 42.2 per cent disapproved, a net approval rating +10.5 points. Biden's approval rating was 53.7 percent, and his disapproval rating was 39.8 percent a month ago (a net approval rating +13.9).
