Report: Coronavirus has Far-Reaching Effects on Americans’ Lives and Work; Trump, Federal Government Rated Poorly on Response

The March 2020 Daily Kos/Civiqs Coronavirus Poll asked 1,505 adults in the United States about the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s response, and how the outbreak has affected their health, work, and daily life.

Overview

The U.S. coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has caused enormous disruption to the lives, health, work, and income of large numbers of Americans, in a very short amount of time. As of March 30, 2020:

• 55% have experienced a coronavirus outbreak in their local area
• 13% either know someone who has been infected or are infected themselves
• 94% are practicing “social distancing”
• 67% spend nearly every day at home, leaving only for exercise or essential items
• 82% have recently experienced grocery shortages or had difficulty buying common household items
• 69% support a national quarantine, with 44% in strong support
• 21% of people employed before the outbreak have been laid off or furloughed from their job
• 39% of households have lost income due to the coronavirus outbreak
• 60% are either extremely or somewhat worried that they will become sick
• 35% are not confident at all that they could get a coronavirus test if they wanted one

Many of these numbers have changed dramatically since Civiqs conducted its last coronavirus survey on March 11, 2020 -- fewer than three weeks ago. At that time, only 1% knew someone who had been infected; that is up to 13% now. The percent reporting a coronavirus outbreak in their local area has increased from 18% to 55%. Concern about the outbreak has increased by 29 percentage points, from 48% to 77% saying they are extremely or moderately concerned. In early March, a majority (52%) of Americans said that the coronavirus outbreak had not affected them personally in any way -- that has fallen to just 9%.

Please visit civiqs.com for additional daily updates on Americans’ level of concern about the coronavirus epidemic, and reactions to the government’s response.

Health Concerns

More than half of all Americans have already experienced reports of coronavirus in their local area. Most of the rest expect an outbreak soon. Only 12% think that an outbreak in their area is either a little likely (9%) or not likely at all (3%). Two-thirds of Americans in urban areas (68%) have experienced an outbreak -- but so have many people living in suburban (55%) and rural (43%) areas of the United States.

As the pandemic has worsened, Americans’ concerns about the outbreak have deepened as well. Nearly half of Americans (43%) are extremely concerned about an outbreak in their local area. An additional 34% are moderately concerned. Levels of concern are greatest in urban areas (85% extremely/moderate) and among Democrats (93%), but large majorities of rural Americans (76%) and Republicans (60%) are also highly concerned.

Americans are acutely afraid that they will become sick with the virus. One-fifth (19%) describe themselves as extremely worried; another 41% are somewhat worried. Yet most Americans lack confidence that they could get a coronavirus test if they wanted one. More than one-third are not confident at all (35%), and 26% are not very confident. Republicans are much more confident than Democrats about their ability to get a coronavirus test. Older Americans express greater confidence than younger Americans in the availability of tests.

A remarkable 94% of Americans say that they have begun practicing “social distancing” to avoid spreading illness. A majority of Americans (52%) have been forced to change their plans due to the outbreak, and one-quarter (25%) are now taking extra precautions or have changed their day-to-day habits.

Economic Impacts

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, 21% of people who were employed before the outbreak have been laid off or furloughed from their job. Over one-quarter -- 26% -- of households have been affected by job layoffs, furloughs, or lost hours. Americans without a college degree have been hardest hit by the loss of work. A substantial 39% of American households have lost income; and 19% of households have seen their income reduced by a lot.

For households that have not yet been economically impacted, levels of insecurity remain very high: 15% are extremely concerned about losing their job or having hours cut, and 13% are moderately concerned. In sum, more than half of American households (54%) have either already experienced loss of work, or are currently at risk.

With the national emphasis on social distancing, work is shifting to people’s homes. More than half of the American workforce (51%) -- excluding people who were recently laid off from their jobs -- is now working from home. The other 49% are still going into their regular workplace. People with lower levels of education are more likely to be working outside the home: 60% of employed non-college graduates are going into work, compared to 39% of college graduates, and only 21% of those with a postgraduate degree. Incredibly, 79% of workers with postgraduate degrees are now working from home.

Americans are divided over whether the health or economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak are a bigger problem: 53% are more worried about the health impacts, while 42% are more worried about the impacts on jobs and the economy. These attitudes break down largely along party lines. Among Democrats, 77% are more worried about health. Among Republicans, 69% are more worried about the economy.

Grading the Government’s Response

The U.S. government and President Trump both receive poor marks for their current handling of the coronavirus outbreak. A majority (52%) are not very satisfied (20%) or not satisfied at all (32%) with the U.S. government’s response. A similar majority (51%) disapproves of the way Donald Trump is handling the response to the coronavirus.

Looking back over the past couple of months, 57% of Americans believe that the U.S. government acted too slowly to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. This includes 91% of Democrats -- but also 18% of Republicans. One-third (35%) of Americans say that the government acted in a timely and responsible way. A small number, 6% (and 11% of Republicans) believe that the U.S. government is overreacting to the outbreak.

Americans give much higher evaluations to their state and local governments. A large majority (70%) is either completely (20%) or mostly (50%) satisfied with their state/local government’s current response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of the coronavirus stimulus bill that was recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump. The bill receives 69% nationwide support, with 77% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans.

As a potential policy solution to control the spread of the coronavirus, there is broad, bipartisan support for a national quarantine in which only essential travel is permitted. Overall, 69% of Americans back this idea, including 44% who strongly support it. A majority of Democrats (87%) as well as Republicans (52%) currently believe in instituting a nationwide quarantine.

Lifestyle Changes

An astonishing 67% of Americans are currently largely confined to their homes, leaving only for exercise or essential items. That includes 75% of Americans in urban areas, and 72% in suburban areas. An additional 13% are spending more time at home than before the outbreak, although they still go out when they want. Only 19% of Americans say that their typical day is essentially unchanged.

Well over three-quarters of Americans (82%) are experiencing grocery shortages or are having difficulty purchasing basic household items such as toilet paper. These challenges are being felt across all parts of the United States, but most strongly in the southern (85%) and western (85%) states -- and more in rural (86%) than urban (80%) areas.

Americans are not optimistic that the coronavirus outbreak will be resolved anytime soon. Most expect things to get back to normal by the end of June (36%), but many believe that it will be another six months or more (30%) until the outbreak settles down. Some are hopeful that the outbreak will recede by the end of April: 17% of Americans, but 31% of Republicans, are projecting this quicker resolution.

Media Reporting

The overwhelming opinion of Americans is that the coronavirus is a real threat (74%), not blown out of proportion (20%). Nevertheless, many Americans (38%) believe that the media is making the outbreak sound worse than it actually is. Republicans are most inclined to feel this way: 71%, compared to 12% of Democrats. Another 40% of Americans, including 64% of Democrats, think that the news media is providing an accurate picture of the outbreak. A small minority (12%) think that the media is underreporting the seriousness of the outbreak.

Americans are turning to television news (35%), online news sites (30%), and government websites (15%) as their primary sources of information and advice when making decisions about how to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. Only 5% are depending mainly on social media sites.

Civiqs surveyed 1,505 adults in the United States from March 28-30, 2020. The survey was conducted online, among selected members of the Civiqs research panel. Sampled individuals were emailed by Civiqs and responded using a personalized link to the survey at civiqs.com. The survey results are weighted by age, race, gender, education, party identification, and region to be representative of the population of adults in the United States. The general design effect due to weighting is 1.19. The survey has a margin of error of ±2.8% at the 95% confidence level, accounting for the design effect.