Americans’ Risk Perceptions and Emotional Responses to COVID-19, April 2020

A national survey of 3,933 Americans in April 2020 found that approximately 72% experienced daily life disruptions due to COVID-19, with significant concerns regarding the healthcare system and the economy. While majorities felt compassion and hope, a majority also reported that worry about the virus harmed their mental health. Risk perceptions were highest for vulnerable populations, such as adults aged 65+ and those with chronic conditions, while personal risk was perceived as lower.

• Approximately 72% of Americans reported that the spread of the coronavirus disrupted their daily life, either "a lot" (38%) or "some" (34%). Specific disruptions included trouble sleeping (42%), filing for unemployment (18%), job loss (17%), and inability to get groceries (30%). Hispanics/Latinos and liberal/moderate Republicans were more likely than others to experience economic consequences like job or income loss.
• High levels of concern exist regarding systemic impacts, with over 80% of Americans worried about the healthcare system being overwhelmed (85%), a global economic depression (84%), local business failures (82%), and state unemployment increases (80%). A majority of Americans stated that worry about the virus harmed their mental health to some degree, with liberal/moderate Republicans most likely to report a "lot" of harm.
• Emotional responses were mixed, with majorities feeling compassionate (64%) and hopeful (54%). However, significant portions of the population felt anxious (46%), afraid (43%), helpless (42%), or overwhelmed (40%). Younger Americans (18-29) were more likely to report feeling bored and less likely to feel compassionate.
• Americans perceived the virus as a greater threat to others than to themselves. While 77% believed it would do "a great deal" of harm to adults 65+ and people with chronic health conditions, only 25% believed it would do "a great deal" of harm to themselves personally. As of April 7, 2020, the most common estimates for the end of the U.S. epidemic were 2-3 months (35%) or 4-6 months (29%).

APA

M., B., P., B., M., G., A., G., J., K., J., M., A., R., S., R., E., M., & A., L. (2020). Americans’ Risk Perceptions and Emotional Responses to COVID-19, April 2020. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-risk-perceptions-and-emotional-responses-to-covid-19-april-2020/

Chicago

M., Ballew,, Bergquist, P., Goldberg, M., Gustafson, A., Kotcher, J., Marlon, J., Roess, A., et al. Americans’ Risk Perceptions and Emotional Responses to COVID-19, April 2020. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2020. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-risk-perceptions-and-emotional-responses-to-covid-19-april-2020/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{m2020americans, author = {M., Ballew, and P., Bergquist, and M., Goldberg, and A., Gustafson, and J., Kotcher, and J., Marlon, and A., Roess, and S., Rosenthal, and E., Maibach, and A., Leiserowitz,}, title = {{Americans’ Risk Perceptions and Emotional Responses to COVID-19, April 2020}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/americans-risk-perceptions-and-emotional-responses-to-covid-19-april-2020/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }