Fewer Americans view coronavirus as a “real threat” now than held the same view last month, according to a new Marist/NPR/PBS NewsHour poll.
The share of Americans labeling coronavirus a real threat dropped 10 percentage points, to 56%, in the March poll. Respondents answering the questions were asked to make a binary choice between viewing coronavirus as a “real threat” or as “blown out of proportion.”
“Since the pandemic has taken root and grown in the United States, Democrats and Republicans are now poles apart,” Lee Miringoff, Marist College Institute of Public Opinion director, told NPR. “The consequences of these differing perspectives are shaping how people are responding to calls for action.”
The poll also found that while a majority of Americans do not trust information about the coronavirus provided by President Trump, his approval numbers are continuing to grow. Sixty percent of respondents said their level of trust in Mr. Trump’s information was “not very much” or “not at all.”
Such distrust has not stopped support for Mr. Trump from climbing. The president’s approval increased to 43% in March, up 1% from February and up 2% since January. Disapproval of Mr. Trump’s job performance dipped below 51% in the Marist poll for the first time since June 2019.
The Marist poll was conducted by landline and mobile telephone surveys of 835 adults on March 13-14 and has a 4.8% margin of error.
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