Findings from survey in March 2020

The report finds strong public support for closing illegal and unregulated wildlife markets in four of the five surveyed Asian markets to prevent future pandemics. While awareness of COVID-19 was nearly universal in March 2020, perceptions of the virus's origin and transmission varied by market. In Myanmar, the wildlife trade was identified as the most concerning global issue, whereas in Japan, climate change was the primary worry. The survey also highlights a trust gap between the perceived importance of national governments in combating the outbreak and the actual trust placed in them, with medical professionals being the most trusted actors overall.

• There is very strong support for governments to close illegal and unregulated wildlife markets in Hong Kong SAR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, with 93% of respondents in these markets likely or very likely to support such efforts.
• A majority of respondents (79%) across the five markets believe that closing illegal and unregulated wildlife markets is an effective measure to prevent similar pandemic diseases in the future, with Myanmar showing the highest level of agreement at 68% believing it would be 'very effective'.
• The closure of these markets is expected to significantly reduce future consumption; 41% of those who intend to buy wildlife products in the future say they would stop entirely if illegal and unregulated markets were closed.
• Perceptions of the primary source of COVID-19 vary: 38% of total respondents believe wildlife are the primary source, while in Thailand, 41% identify a lack of hygiene as the primary source, and in Vietnam, medical experiments/research and wildlife are equally cited at 33% each.
• There is a notable discrepancy between the perceived importance of national governments in fighting the outbreak and the trust they inspire; while 54% see the national government as the most important institution, only 44% trust them to combat the virus.
• Medical professionals are the most trusted institution to combat the coronavirus across the surveyed markets, with a trust level of 56%.
• In Myanmar, the usage and trade of wild animals and plants is the most concerning global issue (46%), whereas in Japan, climate change and global warming is the most mentioned issue within the top three concerns (62%).
• Past purchase behavior in open wildlife markets was reported by 9% of respondents across the five markets, with live birds (46%), snakes (34%), and bats (23%) being the most commonly purchased species.
• Awareness of COVID-19 was nearly universal (99%) in early March 2020, with news channels (64%) being the primary source of information.

APA

WWF International (2020). Findings from survey in March 2020. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/559/5h33thcn55_GlobeScan_WWF_Coronavirus_Public_Opinion_Survey_Report_20200402.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Findings from survey in March 2020. 2020. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/559/5h33thcn55_GlobeScan_WWF_Coronavirus_Public_Opinion_Survey_Report_20200402.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Findings from survey in March 2020 |date=2020 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/559/5h33thcn55_GlobeScan_WWF_Coronavirus_Public_Opinion_Survey_Report_20200402.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2020findings, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Findings from survey in March 2020}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/559/5h33thcn55_GlobeScan_WWF_Coronavirus_Public_Opinion_Survey_Report_20200402.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }