Americans who say they feel comfortable going on vacation edged up 1 percentage point to 55% in the latest weekly survey by Morning Consult, a global data intelligence company. While that was well below the survey’s high of 65% on July 4, it represented the first increase in such sentiment in eight weeks, as the chart below shows. In July, reports of the delta variant’s spread and rising breakthrough cases among vaccinated people sparked worries of another serious virus outbreak, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to urge increased COVID-19 vaccination coverage. Since then, consumer confidence as well as spending have slipped, and some economists pared back their growth forecasts. But now things might be looking up again. Morning Consult surveyed about 2,200 people from Sept. 2-5 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2%. Separately, it found that the share of adults who say they’re concerned about the delta variant fell five percentage points to 77%, from the prior week’s survey. “Though comfort with vacationing ticked up slightly in early September, it’s too soon to say whether that trend will stick—especially given the moving obstacles around the delta variant.” said Alyssa Meyers, Morning Consult’s brands and marketing reporter, in an email. “All eyes will remain on consumers’ comfort related to travel and these weekly changes as we head into the fall.” Have a question, comment, or story to share? You can reach Medora at medoralee@thebalance.com
