More Americans view the coronavirus outbreak as a major threat to the country’s economy and the health of the entire U.S. population than as a threat to their own personal finances and health, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.
The poll showed 70% of those surveyed view the coronavirus as a major threat to the U.S. economy and 47% of respondents think it is a major threat to the health of the entire population. Thirty-four percent of people view the coronavirus outbreak as a major threat to their own finances and 27% of adults view it as a major threat to their health.
“Underscoring the rapidly changing nature of this crisis, the shares of Americans who say the COVID-19 outbreak is a major threat to the economy and other aspects of life increased substantially over the past week,” the Pew Research Center report said. “For example, in interviews conducted March 10-11, 42% of the public said the coronavirus was a major threat to the health of the U.S. population; in interviews conducted March 14-16, 55% say it is a major threat to the nation’s overall health.”
Many Americans view the coronavirus as posing no threat to their personal health. Twenty-two percent of respondents said the coronavirus outbreak was “not a threat” to their personal health and 14% of those surveyed said the outbreak was not a threat to the day-to-day life in their individual communities.
The Pew Research Center poll surveyed 8,914 U.S. adults online from March 10-16.
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