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Axios-Ipsos poll: Americans' hopes rise after a year of COVID
During the last year, Americans have felt stressed out and worried about the coronavirus — but now more say they're hopeful as the vaccines become available, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
The big picture: Americans finally see some light at the end of the tunnel as we approach the one-year anniversary of the national emergency over the pandemic — a year that has been full of misery, mental anguish, and sickness and death here and around the world.
By the numbers: Our survey found that the negative emotions dominated over the last year. 41% of respondents said "stressed/worried" were the words that best described their mood during that time, with an equal percentage saying they were "frustrated."
- 26% said they felt "overwhelmed/burned out," while 19% chose "angry," 16% saying they were "sad" and 16% saying they were "discouraged."
Now, 48% said they are "hopeful" — up from 20% who said they felt that way during the past year.
- The negative emotions are still there, but they're less prevalent than during the past year. 20% say they're stressed or worried now, 20% say they're frustrated, and 15% say they're overwhelmed or burned out. (People were able to choose up to three answers.)
- The people who are most hopeful now are those 65 and older (64%), Democrats (59%), and people who have gotten the vaccine (61%).
"People are starting to see that maybe there's an end in sight, that there's something to look forward to finally," said Chris Jackson, senior vice president for Ipsos Public Affairs.
- That change in mood comes as the share of vaccinated Americans slowly rises. This week, 23% of respondents said they had gotten the vaccine — up from 19% last week, and a big jump from the 3% who said they had received the vaccine in our Jan. 11 poll, the first one with a measurable result.
- There has also been a small increase in the share of people who think they can get back to something resembling their normal, pre-COVID life in six months or less: 33% now, up from 26% in last week's poll.
- "I think there is this slight movement of people expecting it to be over sooner rather than later," Jackson said.
Of note: The poll found that Americans overwhelmingly want teachers to get vaccinated, with 75% saying it's very or somewhat important for teachers to receive both doses before coming back to school to teach kids in person.
- This is despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that says "Access to vaccination should not be considered a condition for reopening schools for in-person instruction" — a document that was released after some conflicting messaging by the Biden administration.
What to watch: People are still figuring out what's the best sign that the pandemic is ending and the restrictions can be lifted, but the biggest group — 27% — said it will be when 75% of Americans or more are vaccinated.
Methodology: This Axios/Ipsos Poll was conducted Feb. 26-March 1 by Ipsos' KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,088 general population adults age 18 or older.
- The margin of sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar to sign U.S.-brokered deal to ease Gulf crisis
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf countries are expected to sign an agreement on Tuesday toward ending a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf after 3.5 years.
The big picture: A Saudi-led coalition severed ties with Qatar in 2017 and closed their airspace and sea routes to Qatari planes and vessels, citing Qatar's alleged support for terror groups and relations with Iran. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been under pressure from the Trump administration to end the dispute.
- The U.S. maintains close ties with both Qatar and its rivals, but the Trump administration's past several attempts to reconcile the parties have been unsuccessful.
- Both Gulf countries see the signing of the agreement as a gesture to the Trump administration and part of their effort to “clean the table” to prepare for the incoming Biden administration.
- Jared Kushner mediated between the parties and traveled to Saudi Arabia to participate in the signing during this week's Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.
The latest: Ahead of the signing of the agreement, the Kuwaiti foreign minister announced Saudi Arabia and Qatar would open their land, air and sea borders starting on Monday night.
Driving the news: Kushner traveled to the GCC summit in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, with White House envoy Avi Berkowitz and adviser Brian Hook, who helped negotiate the agreement.
- The summit will be the first time the Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani will visit Saudi Arabia since the crisis erupted in 2017. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait will also attend.
- The leaders are going to sign an agreement which includes three confidence building measures: Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain will lift the air and sea blockade of Qatar; Qatar will withdraw all lawsuits against its three Gulf neighbors; and all parties will stop their media campaigns against each other.
Behind the scenes: The deal was reached in principle during Kushner’s last visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar several weeks ago, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Qatari Emir Tamim. Kushner has close relationships with both leaders.
- U.S. officials say that after meeting the Saudi crown prince, Kushner travelled to Doha with Hook while leaving close aides Avi Berkowitz and Adam Boehler behind in Saudi Arabia. The two mediated talks between the Saudis and the Qataris over the phone in real-time until a draft deal was reached.
- In the last few weeks, final discussions were held with the Saudis and the Qataris to ensure both sides were committed to the understandings that were reached, the officials told me.
- The White House also lobbied the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt — all three of which have reservations about the agreement, as they view Qatar in a very negative light and do not believe the Qataris are sincere.
- The deal almost fell apart on Sunday when a last-minute miscommunication created new tensions between the Saudis and the Qataris, sources briefed on the matter told me.
- Kushner and his team were supposed to leave on Sunday afternoon but postponed their trip. A source told me Kushner and his team were forced to negotiate with the Saudis and the Qataris into the night on Sunday until a solution was found. They left Washington en route to Saudi Arabia early Monday morning.
What they're saying: A senior diplomat from one of the Gulf countries told me the agreement is a step in the right direction and includes some positive developments — but it does not mark the end of the Gulf rift.
- “Some of the issues were solved, but the root causes for the rift — bad personal relationships between the leaders and big policy differences on Iran, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood — are still there," the diplomat told me.
The bottom line: The agreement, which will be signed on Tuesday, would be a last-minute achievement for Kushner and the Trump administration before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.



