Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) say the way people behave in public these days is ruder than before the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes 20% who say behavior today is a lot ruder. Another 44% of adults say public behavior is about the same, while only 9% say people are behaving a lot or a little more politely in public. What do you think?

A sizable share of Americans also say they regularly see rude behavior in their daily lives, according to the survey of U.S. adults, conducted Nov. 12-17, 2024. About a third of adults (34%) say they almost always or often see people behaving rudely when they go out in public these days, while another 46% see this sometimes. How often do you see rude behavior in your daily life?

If you feel people have become ruder since the pandemic, do you think public behavior will ever return to the way it was before?