Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • International
      • #
    • Business
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • International
      • #
    • Business
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
  • Latest
  • Business
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • All Woman
  • Career & Education
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Classifieds
  • Design Week
Poll: Many Americans won’t return to gyms, dining out
Lynn Tanner (centre) and her husband Ryan (bottom right) are served lunch at Busy Bee Cafe Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Ventura,California. Much of the country remains unlikely to venture out to bars, restaurants, theatres or gyms anytime soon, despite state andlocal officials increasingly allowing businesses to reopen. That's according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center forPublic Affairs Research.
COVID-19, News
May 23, 2020

Poll: Many Americans won’t return to gyms, dining out

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (AP) — Much of the country remains unlikely to venture out to bars, restaurants, theatres or gyms anytime soon, despite state and local officials across the country increasingly allowing businesses to reopen, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

That hesitancy in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak could muffle any recovery from what has been the sharpest and swiftest economic downturn in US history. Just 42 per cent of those who went to concerts, movies, theatres or sporting events, at least monthly before the outbreak, say they’d do so in the next few weeks if they could. Only about half of those who regularly went to restaurants, exercised at the gym or travelled would feel comfortable doing so again.

About a quarter of Americans say someone in their household has lost a job amid that downturn, and about half have lost household income, including layoffs, pay cuts, cut hours or unpaid time off. The majority of those whose household suffered a layoff still believe they will return to their previous employer, but the share expecting their job will not return has risen slightly over the past month, to 30 per cent from 20 per cent.

Amber Van Den Berge, a teacher in Indiana, held off on immediately returning to her second job as a fitness instructor. She would need to pass a test for COVID-19, get her temperature checked each morning and lead class while wearing a protective mask.

“Wear a mask to teach a fitness class? I’m not ready for that,” said Van Den Berge, 39.

The speed and strength of any economic rebound could be thwarted because many fear the risk of new infections. Consumers make up roughly 70 per cent of US economic activity, so anything less than a total recovery in spending would force many companies to permanently close and deepen the financial pain for 39 million people who have lost jobs in roughly the past two months.

Forty-nine per cent of Americans approve of how President Donald Trump is handling the economy, the poll shows. That has slipped over the last two months, from 56 per cent in March. Still, the issue remains a relative positive for Trump, whose overall approval rating stands at 41 per cent.

Trump has at times downplayed the threat of the coronavirus and the benefits of testing and has criticised the leadership of Democratic governors. Meanwhile, many Democratic lawmakers have insisted on the importance of containing the disease and sustaining the economy with federal aid.

Greg Yost, a Republican from Rockaway, New Jersey, says he wishes the president would defer more to medical experts, rather than speak off the cuff. But he added that he thinks Trump believes he must defend himself against personal attacks.

“He’s between a rock and a hard place,” Yost said.

But ShyJuan Clemons, 45, of Merrillville, Indiana, says Trump has made the fallout from the pandemic worse by initially denying its dangers and failing to display much empathy for those hurt by the coronavirus.

“Even my cat knows that he’s terrible,” said Clemons, referring to his 14-year-old Siamese mix, Shinji.

Clemons works with special needs people and worries about his hours if Indiana — starved of tax revenues because of the disease — cuts its budget.

But it also shows how an atmosphere of political polarisation may be feeding both an eagerness by some to return and a reluctance by others to resume their previous lifestyles.

Among those who did so at least monthly before the outbreak, Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say they’d go to restaurants (69 per cent to 37 per cent), movies, concerts or theatres (68 per cent to 28 per cent), travel (65 per cent to 38 per ent) and go to a gym or fitness studio (61 per cent to 44 per cent).

Sixty-nine per cent of those who regularly shopped in person for non-essential items before the outbreak, including majorities among both parties, say they’d be likely to wander malls and stores again. But Republicans are more likely to say so than Democrats, 82 per cent to 61 per cent.

Yost expressed no qualms about going out because he believes the economic damage from shelter-in-place orders will be worse than the deaths from the disease.

“What’s going to happen with depression, homelessness — a lot of other problems are going to arise because we shut down the economy?” said Yost, a vice-president of operations at an insurance agency. “I would go to a restaurant and feel comfortable with my kids and not even have masks on.”

Still, there’s an exception to the partisan divide, with 76 per cent of Republicans and 69 per cent of Democrats who get haircuts on at least a monthly basis saying they’d do that in the next few weeks if they could.

The poll finds an overwhelming majority of Americans, 70 per cent, describe the economy as poor, but their outlook for the future is highly partisan. Sixty-two per cent of Republicans expect improvement in the coming year, while 56 per cent of Democrats say it will worsen.

At the same time, two-thirds of Americans say their personal finances are good, which has remained steady since the outbreak began.

Many families have been able to survive the downturn because of aid such as direct payments to taxpayers and expanded unemployment benefits that will expire in July.

Mitchell Durst, 74, has watched the job losses from the sidelines as a retired mathematician in Keyser, West Virginia.

He was already cautious about going out because of a compromised immune system from cancer treatments. The disease stopped his weekly poker game. He lived through the polio crisis, dealt with gas rationing during the 1970s and worked in Nigeria during the Ebola scare.

He calculates the United States will need to be patient about an economic comeback.

“Until we have a vaccine, particularly for those folks at risk, it’s going to be awhile,” Durst said. “If we get something in two years, if we’re so fortunate to be able to do that, I think that would be fantastic.”

A new AP-NORC poll finds that a majority of Americans who did so regularly before the novel coronavirus pandemic say they won’t return to theatres, concerts or sportingevents in the coming weeks if virus restrictions are lifted. Majorities would likely get a haircut and shop for non-essential items.
After being closed for several weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak, Chandler Fashion Center Mall welcomes back patrons with manysocial distancing guideline signs Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Chandler, Arizona. Much of the country remains unlikely to venture out tobars, restaurants, theatres or the gym anytime soon, despite state and local officials increasingly allowing businesses to reopen. That’saccording to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (Photos: AP)
{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Imposter uses AI to contact US gov’t officials as Marco Rubio
International News, Latest News
Imposter uses AI to contact US gov’t officials as Marco Rubio
July 8, 2025
WASHINGTON, United States — An unidentified impostor used artificial intelligence (AI) to imitate United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio an...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Man shot and injured in north west Manchester community
Latest News, News
Man shot and injured in north west Manchester community
July 8, 2025
MANCHESTER, Jamaica — A man has been hospitalised after he was attacked and shot near his home in Huntley district, north west Manchester on Tuesday. ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Strike planned at UK school over treatment of Jamaican teachers
International News, Latest News
Strike planned at UK school over treatment of Jamaican teachers
July 8, 2025
LONDON, United Kingdom — Employees at a London-based academy are preparing to strike over the reported targeting of Jamaican teachers, alleging overwo...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Trump says ‘no extensions’ to Aug 1 tariff deadline
Business, International News, Latest News
Trump says ‘no extensions’ to Aug 1 tariff deadline
July 8, 2025
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States (US) President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would not extend an August 1 deadline for higher US t...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Reggae Sumfest and visuEats partner for cashless food experience
Business, Entertainment, Latest News
Reggae Sumfest and visuEats partner for cashless food experience
July 8, 2025
In a move to enhance the festival experience, Downsound Entertainment, organisers of Reggae Sumfest, has partnered with visuEats, a Caribbean digital ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Digicel shuts down Loop News and SportsMax
Business, Latest News, News, ...
Digicel shuts down Loop News and SportsMax
July 8, 2025
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Digicel Group has announced the closure of Loop News and the upcoming final broadcast of SportsMax, as part of its strategic shift...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer", "breaking-news":"Push Notifications"}
St Mary residents can now access same-day process for driver’s licences
Latest News, News
St Mary residents can now access same-day process for driver’s licences
July 8, 2025
ST MARY, Jamaica — St Mary residents will be able to access same-day processing of driver's licences following an increase in the number of offices th...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
AI consuming vast amounts of energy, must reduce footprint — study
Business, International News, Latest News
AI consuming vast amounts of energy, must reduce footprint — study
July 8, 2025
PARIS, France (AFP) — The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is immense -- but its equally vast energy consumption needs curbing, with asking s...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct