A new Axios/Ipsos poll reveals that Americans are shifting to a more positive attitude about the state of COVID-19 and its effect on our lives. A 55% majority now believe there is little risk associated with returning to everyday activities, even in light of the Delta variant’s currently high transmission rate.

According to Forbes, the poll conducted November 5-8 included 1,003 U.S. adults. The results showed that 38% of respondents felt that resuming normal pre-pandemic activities posed a small risk to their health and well-being, while 17% believe there is no risk.

As far as specific events, a full 61% said they were comfortable dining at a restaurant gathering with friends and family. Back in August and early September of this year, only 47% of respondents said they felt at ease gathering in person and going out to eat. Most respondents qualified that they would still wear masks (66%) and socially distance (69%) when they return to normal activities.

On the flip side, the poll found that 70% are still concerned about COVID-19, although Forbes reports that the number of people who are “extremely concerned” has dropped to 13%. And only 41% of respondents believe that traveling by plane or mass transit is associated with a small or no risk.

While The New York Times reports that the seven-day average number of cases in the U.S. as of November 12 is 74,128 and is far lower than the 200,000 daily cases confirmed during the Delta surge in August and early September, it’s still much higher than the 11,000 cases recorded daily nationally in June and July. So clearly, the risk of infection is worrisome.

The Axios/Ipsos poll aligns with other surveys such as the Morning Consult Poll conducted during November 4-6 that found 68% of U.S. adults said they feel comfortable going out to eat in a restaurant. The big question, say experts, is when will things get back to normal and what will the new normal look like? While confidence is clearly rising in the country thanks to vaccinations and lifting mask mandate restrictions in some areas, the holiday festivities and gatherings are just around the corner. According to NPR, modeling suggests that cases will likely stay high through the holiday season but will not have a tendency to accelerate into a new nationwide surge like last year.

And Americans are getting more comfortable traveling to see their loved ones. The recent move by the Biden administration to allow vaccinated foreign travelers to enter the country, bolstered not only international travel, but domestic as well. Expedia, the online booking site, saw a 28% increase in searches for U.S. hotels from Britain and a 24% increase from France. Experts say that this move signaled to American travelers that they could leave their homes this coming holiday season, too.

“There’s something about the fact that we’re lifting our borders that changes the perception of travel right now and makes people much more comfortable and confident doing so,” said Misty Belles, spokesperson for Virtuosos, a group of luxury travel agencies.