American Public Responses to COVID-19

The report finds that a large majority of Americans prioritize public health over economic recovery, trust medical experts and local news, and have adopted protective behaviors such as handwashing and social distancing. However, significant gaps remain in knowledge regarding certain false claims, and there is a widespread desire for more information and increased action from government leaders and citizens.

• A vast majority of Americans prioritize stopping the spread of the coronavirus over preventing economic decline, with 84% favoring public health and 16% favoring the economy. This priority holds across all demographic groups, including Republicans, Trump voters, and those seeking work.
• Most Americans believe that the U.S. Congress, President Trump, and citizens themselves should do more to limit the epidemic. Specifically, 38% believe President Trump and 36% believe citizens should be doing "much more."
• As of April 7, 2020, there was a prevailing expectation that both the pandemic and the economy would worsen over the following month, with 64% expecting the epidemic to get worse and 70% expecting the economy to get worse.
• While 94% of Americans followed coronavirus news closely, 80% reported needing more information. The need for "a lot more information" was particularly high among African Americans, liberal/moderate Republicans, and urban residents.
• Medical professionals and health organizations are highly trusted sources of information, with approximately 90% of Americans trusting doctors, infectious disease experts, the CDC, and the NIH.
• Public trust in information sources is polarized by party. Democrats show higher trust in national newspapers, national network news, CNN, and MSNBC, while Republicans show higher trust in Fox News.
• Americans demonstrate high knowledge of key COVID-19 facts, such as the effectiveness of handwashing (92%), the risk of large gatherings (92%), and asymptomatic spread (91%). However, knowledge is lower regarding false claims, such as the belief that antibiotics can kill the virus (62% know this is false).
• A large majority of Americans adopted protective behaviors: 90% increased handwashing, 87% maintained 6-foot distancing, and 84% stopped shaking hands. Mask usage was significantly lower, with only 44% wearing a mask in public.
• Younger Americans (18-29) are less likely than other adults to adopt protective measures or perceive social pressure to do so, including lower rates of avoiding gatherings and reducing attendance at places of worship.
• Strong social norms exist regarding the pandemic; 92% of Americans believe their family and friends are making a moderate to great deal of effort to limit the spread, and 93% believe it is important to their social circle that they take action.

APA

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2020). American Public Responses to COVID-19. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/04/american-public-responses-covid19-april-2020b.pdf

Chicago

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. American Public Responses to COVID-19. 2020. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/04/american-public-responses-covid19-april-2020b.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |title=American Public Responses to COVID-19 |date=April 2020 |url=https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/04/american-public-responses-covid19-april-2020b.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaleprogramonclimatechangecommunication2020american, author = {{Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{American Public Responses to COVID-19}}, institution = {Yale Program on Climate Change Communication}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/app/uploads/2020/04/american-public-responses-covid19-april-2020b.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }