Our latest summary of public opinion on all things related to the Coronavirus can be found here.

Wave 3 (April 7) can be found here, wave 2 (March 28) can be found here and wave 1 (March 7) can be found here.

Among the key findings of the most recent summary:

• Americans Continue To Feel The Weight Of The Coronavirus Outbreak
  • More than 7-in-10 Americans are worried about infection, three-quarters have seen their life change in a major way and a majority of Americans are anxious over the indefiniteness/uncertainty. “Hell,” ” “Challenging,” “Biblical times,” “Tragic,” “Hardship” are among the words most commonly used to describe what the country is going through.
  • Despite all of that, a majority of Americans are still optimistic and hopeful about the future and nearly three-quarters believe the pandemic is bringing out the best in the country.

• Americans Are Acutely Aware of The Economic Impact
  • 25% of Americans expect to lose their job in the next year (the highest number Gallup has ever registered, dating back to 1975).
  • Two-thirds of Americans believe it will take at least a year for the economy to recover (including one-quarter who believe it will take several years).

• Two-Thirds Of Americans Now Have An Unfavorable View Of China
  • Americans’ opinions on China have soured over the last two years, rising from 47% unfavorable in 2018 to 66% unfavorable now.

• Americans Are Not Blinking At The Rapid Expansion of Government
  • Opinions on government spending levels are markedly different than those during the Great Recession. During the 2008-2009 financial crisis, a majority of Americans (60%) were consistently concerned about too much Government spending to support the economy. Now, Americans are more closely divided about spending too much (44%) or too little (41%), despite spending on Coronavirus already outpacing that of spending during the Great Recession.
  • And, two-thirds of Americans approve of the expansion of the government’s role in the economy.

• We Aren’t Quite Ready To Reopen
  • While Americans are clearly anxious and feeling the economic impact of the shutdown, it appears a majority of the country is not ready to “reopen.” Multiple surveys conducted over the last two weeks show that a majority of Americans are worried about the Government lifting restrictions too soon.
  • More than 7-in-10 Americans believe it would be a risk to return to their normal pre-coronavirus life right now.

All the best,

Bill, Elizabeth and Jarrett