Heading into the holiday season, most Americans are optimistic about where the United States stands regarding Covid-19 and have accepted that Covid-19 is here to say, according to a recent Axios/Ipsos poll.

How Americans feel about Covid-19

For the poll, Axios and Ipsos surveyed 1,147 adults from Dec. 2 through Dec. 5.

Nearly 90% of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed the United States is "in a better place than we were a year ago" on Covid-19, and around 70% said they agree the country is moving to a point where the coronavirus won't disrupt our daily lives.

Meanwhile, nearly half of respondents said they believe there's a moderate or large risk of contracting a respiratory illness other than Covid-19. However, just over a quarter said they've changed their behavior in some way to reduce their potential exposure.

"With majorities getting out and about and only about 1 in 4 saying they're taking steps to avoid Covid or the flu, for most people this is going to be a Covid-worry free holiday," said Cliff Young, president of Ipsos U.S. Public Affairs.

The poll also found significantly different feelings about America's response to the Covid-19 pandemic among political parties.

Overall, 45% of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement that public health officials lied about how effective Covid-19 vaccines and masks are at preventing the spread of the disease, including 71% of Republican respondents, 46% of Independent respondents, and 22% of Democrat respondents.

In addition, nearly 70% of respondents said they somewhat or strongly agree the U.S. government should continue funding Covid-19 monitoring and prevention measures, and 44% said they believe America has spent enough fighting the disease.

"Americans want the government to continue fighting Covid but don't want to be inconvenienced by it," said Chris Jackson, SVP of Ipsos. (Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index poll, 12/6; Bettelheim, Axios, 12/6)