Ballot: four in 10 People Report Shedding Their Jobs or Work-Associated Revenue Because of the Coronavirus Disaster, Together with Extra Than Half of Half-Time Staff
Regardless of the partisan's identity, Americans are prioritizing slowing the spread of the coronavirus over restarting the economy
With coronavirus rising and business closures, four in ten (39%) US citizens say they have lost a job or an income due to the crisis. This was the result of the latest survey by KFF Health Tracking. This includes most part-time workers (54%), as well as almost half of parents with children under 18 (47%) and those who are paid hourly or professionally (45%).
A large majority (82%) also say they seek refuge locally and do not leave their homes except for essential needs such as food and medical care as directed or recommended by most states. And almost everyone (92%) now reports some form of social distancing, like canceling travel plans and not attending large gatherings – up from 59% two weeks ago.
The March 25-30 poll found that Americans are already reporting significant pandemic-related issues as the crisis disrupts their lives and threatens their health and finances:
- Almost half (45%) say coronavirus-related worries and stress are affecting their mental health – up from 32% two weeks ago. About one in five (19%) said the situation had a “major impact” on their mental health – including about a quarter of women, Hispanic adults, and black adults.
- A third (34%) say they couldn't get medical care unrelated to the coronavirus. A quarter (24%) said they could not get any prescription drugs.
- A total of 72% of the population say that the pandemic has disrupted their lives – an increase of 32 percentage points compared to two weeks ago. The stocks reporting disruption are similar among men and women, parents and nonparents, and Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
"Most Americans are taking steps recommended by public health professionals to protect themselves, and Republicans are now getting the message," said Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF.
The survey found a dramatic increase in the proportion of adults who say they are taking precautions or preparing to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Three-quarters (75%) say they stayed home instead of going to work, school, or other regular activities – about three times the proportion that said two weeks ago.
Seven in ten (69%) say they have not traveled or have changed their travel plans. Two-thirds (66%) said they had canceled plans to attend large gatherings, and six out of ten respondents said they had stocked up on food, housewares, or medication. In any case, the shares are significantly higher than they were reported two weeks ago.
Similar proportions of Democrats (95%), Independents (91%), and Republicans (91%) now report some form of social distancing – a significant change since two weeks ago when Republicans were less likely to say they were doing at least one of these things .
It is important that people over the age of 60 and those with chronic illnesses – two groups at high risk of developing COVID-19 complications – report that they are taking these precautions at a level similar to that of the general population.
Despite the health, social, and economic upheaval Americans are already experiencing, about three in four (74%) say the "worst is yet to come." The public has significant coronavirus-related concerns for the health and wellbeing of their family, as well as concerns about the nation and the healthcare system:
- Most (57%) now say they are concerned that they are at risk of coronavirus because they cannot afford to stay home and miss work – up from 35% two weeks ago. People most likely to fear such exposure include healthcare workers and their families (69%), lower-income workers (72%), and those who are paid by the hour or professionally (61%).
- About half of adults say they fear someone in their family will get coronavirus (53% versus 62% two weeks ago) and that their investments will be negatively impacted for a long time (59% versus 51% in two weeks) weeks ago). Around half (53%) fear they won't be able to afford coronavirus tests or treatments when they need them, up from 36% in the previous survey.
- Large majorities fear that the country's economy will slide into recession (79%) and that local businesses will close permanently due to the epidemic (85%). This includes at least three-quarters of the Democrats, Independents, and Republicans.
- Around eight in ten respondents fear that the country's health system is becoming overloaded and people are unable to get medical care (82%) and that their local hospital is running out of equipment such as beds or ventilators (78%) . A large majority (88%) also fear that health workers will not need personal protective equipment such as masks.
Right now, Americans are prioritizing slowing the coronavirus spread when reopening businesses
Despite concerns about the impact on the country's economy, a large majority (80%) say, "The US should take steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus as more extensive testing becomes available, even if it means many companies are have to do stay closed. "
Far fewer (14%) say, "The US should relax measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus soon in order to open business and get the US economy going again, even if that means more people will get coronavirus and could die. ”
A larger proportion of Democrats (94%), Independents (78%) and Republicans (68%) believe that the US should prioritize slowing the spread of the coronavirus than the US should prioritize reviving the economy (Dec. %, 16%, and 25%).
CDC Public Trusts and Dr. Fauci must; President Trump and Media are way behind
About eight in ten adults say the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (83%) and Dr. Anthony Fauci (78%), director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases and Most Visible Public Health, trust Trump administration officials for reliable information about coronavirus.
Almost as many trust government officials (74%) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (70%). Less than half say they trust either the news media (47%) or President Trump (46%) to provide reliable coronavirus information.
In contrast to the other sources trusted by majorities across party lines, there are big party political differences in trust in the news media and in President Trump. Most Democrats (63%) but only a third of Republicans (33%) trust the news media to provide accurate information about coronavirus, while the vast majority of Republicans (89%) but few Democrats (12%) are president Trust Trump.
The survey was designed and analyzed by pollsters from the KFF and conducted from March 25-30, 2020 among a nationally representative sample of 1,226 adults with free choice. The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (253) and mobile phone (973). The margin of error in the sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the entire sample. Results based on subgroups may have a higher sampling error rate.
Comments are closed.