Republicans have always been more convinced that things would get better quickly. But they are less sure of that today, as the percentage of Republicans saying the worst is behind us has dropped 12 points since May to 51% now, while optimism among Independents is down 31 points to 34%. Among Democrats it has dropped the most: 37 points to 19%.

Looking ahead, Americans believe there is a long road to recovery. Nearly half the public expects that it will take more than two years to recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, and a majority fear the pandemic itself may not end until after 2022. In fact, one in five aren’t sure it will ever end. A quarter of the usually-optimistic Republicans think that.