In the age of social media, it’s likely that most people find out what friends, family members, and the rest of the general population is up to by what we’re sharing online. Depending on how you use the internet, however, you might have a pretty narrow field of opinions and experience expressed on your timeline. That’s part of why it can be so interesting to check out public opinion data. We look at this sort of data a lot when it comes to elections—and how satisfied (or not) people are with, say, the president—but it can also be an interesting way to look at people’s behavior and households.
In this case, we look at how people are handling the novel coronavirus pandemic—and what they’re most worried about. One encouraging point to lead with? According to new data from Civiqs, 94% of American adults say they’re practicing social distancing.
Before we get into more specifics, let’s review some basics about the data. Civiqs, a research firm that conducts scientific public opinion polls, surveyed 1,505 American adults online from March 28-30. You can check out the complete questionnaire and cross-tabs here. You can also check out a wide range of polling data (including visuals) at the Civiqs site.
One major topic of discussion amid the coronavirus pandemic is, of course, whether or not a national quarantine will happen in the United States. As my colleague, Hunter, pointed out, a true “quarantine” in that sense is unlikely. Still, governors and mayors can (and have) set their own orders for things like closing nonessential businesses and enforcing crowd limits.
Whether it’s likely to happen or not, however, the numbers suggest that Americans are actually pretty into it. 69% of Americans support a national quarantine, with 44% “strongly” supporting one.
Given that 41% of respondents say they’re somewhat worried about becoming ill (and 19% say they’re extremely worried), it makes sense that people are trying to flatten the curve by social distancing, as 94% of respondents say they’re doing. That’s great news because it’s one of the only things (as well as washing our hands) that most people can do to stop spreading the virus. If you’re feeling lonely while practicing social distancing, there are plenty of free things to do online, including museums, audiobooks, and virtual tours. You can also check out these ways to help combat stress and loneliness if you’re looking for some mental health support.
67% of Americans say they’re leaving home only for essential items and exercise, and that they’re spending nearly every day at home. That note on essential items, however, leads into a painful discussion: 82% of people report having a hard time buying groceries or other household items, like toilet paper. Notably, slightly more people report experiencing shortages in rural areas, at 86%, versus in urban areas, at 80%.
Shortages may be especially stressful given that nearly 40% say their households have lost (a little or a lot of) income. Close to 30% are extremely or somewhat worried about the economic hit of the virus on their households. Relatedly, this is a reminder that, if possible, it does a community good for your neighbors to leave WIC-eligible items on the shelf as you stock up.
Here is a visualization of how concerned respondents are about a local outbreak:
As my colleague Kerry Eleveld reported from the same data, just 21% of Republicans expressed extreme concern about a local outbreak. Given that just two weeks ago only 26% of Republicans believed the coronavirus would change daily life in a major way, people are definitely starting to wake up. In terms of Trump, 51% of Americans disapprove of the way he’s handling the pandemic, and 18% of Republicans say the government moved too slowly in pandemic response.
How do your views or experiences compare with the Civiqs data?