According to Numerator, a recent survey of more than 1,000 consumers shows a reversal in consumer comfort with re-opening activities as concern over the Delta variant grows, and, as a consequence, they are reconsidering masking.
The market research firm stated that 46% of consumers are highly concerned about COVID, up 10 percentage points from July 2021.
Consumers who said that they are comfortable shopping without a mask dropped 15 percentage points from July to August. Some 46% of consumers now say they prefer to shop at stores that require masks, with 56% of vaccinated consumers holding that view versus 22% of those who will not get the vaccine. Consumers also expressed lower confidence levels for attending other social activities including dining out, where the comfort level for inside dining fell 9%. Just under half of consumers, at 48%, believe full re-opening or return to normal is pushed out to 2022.
