Poll: Fewer Americans avoiding small gatherings due to COVID-19

May 11 (UPI) -- Fewer Americans now say they are avoiding small gatherings as a social distancing measure to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease, a new survey showed Monday.

Gallup said the poll shows the share of adults in the United States who say they're avoiding such gatherings (74 percent) has declined by 10 percent from a month ago.

The pollster said the survey also shows an increase in the number of Americans who say they haven't considered avoiding small groups.

"Even as more Americans have participated in small gatherings, they are no less likely to be avoiding public places or transportation," Gallup wrote. "Additionally, three-quarters report wearing a face mask outside their home, unchanged from the prior week."

Eighty-six percent of Democrats, 60 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of independents said they are avoiding small gatherings. All three figures are down from the end of March.

The survey also found more are leaving their homes to visit someone else. Sixteen percent said they'd visited the home of a relative or acquaintance over the past week.

"This may reflect many states' easing of restrictions as well as warming weather in parts of the country, both of which could make social gatherings more enticing to people eager to host a barbecue or take a walk with friends," Gallup wrote.

"If the trend continues, it could create a larger, but dwindling, group of Americans avoiding small gatherings and a smaller, but growing, group of Americans no longer considering this kind of distance."

Gallup polled more than 4,500 U.S. adults for the survey, which has a margin of error of 3 points.