Conducted February 19 -March 5, 2021. A new Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum finds that, on average across 30 countries and markets surveyed, 59% expect being able to return to something like their normal pre-COVID life within the next 12 months, including 6% who think this is already the case, 9% who think it will take no more than three months, 13% four to six months, and 32% seven to 12 months (the median time). About one in five think it will take more than three years (10%) or that it will never happen (8%). Views on when to expect a return to normal vary widely across countries: Over 70% of adults in Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, and mainland China are confident their life will return to pre-COVID normal within a year. In contrast, 80% in Japan and more than half in France, Italy, South Korea, and Spain expect it will take longer.