Adjusting to a world with COVID-19 has meant changing so much about our daily way of living. With millions of people infected by this coronavirus pandemic all around the world, the leading concern for so many people is simply how to stay safe.
Recognizing the signs of infection and knowing what to do if you or someone you love starts to show symptoms is one of the most fundamental responsibilities we share in staying safe and healthy, but there are other actions we can employ, too. While it’s important to be mindful of your mental health while you’re sheltering in place, many states continue to encourage (and in some cases, enforce) standard social distancing measures.
And while you may not have been familiar with the phrase “social distancing” three or even six months ago, there’s no doubt you’ve heard it by now. Even more importantly, you may have realized the notion of social distancing isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
But is it all too much? To understand how people feel about the government response to COVID-19 in general (and how they feel about social distancing specifically), CollegeFinance.com surveyed over 1,000 people about living in our new normal.
Despite just 2% of people identifying as not participating in social distancing behaviors, more than 2 in 3 people believe they’re practicing social distancing more than others in their community. Millennials were the most likely generation to perceive they were taking social distancing more seriously than those around them.
And while 29% of Americans believe the public is sufficiently worried about the spread of COVID-19, 45% of people feel the public isn’t worried enough. Compared to 53% of Democrats who believe their communities aren’t concerned enough about this global health crisis, 39% of Republicans suggested people are overreacting instead. Baby boomers were the most likely generation to suggest people were overly concerned with the impact of COVID-19.
Although they were more at odds over the level of concern, Americans were far more likely to be in agreement over how the government has handled the pandemic. Compared to just 13% who said public officials have done too much, 58% of Americans agreed the state and federal government hasn’t done enough. While 1 in 5 Republicans suggested public officials have gone too far in their handling of the situation, 72% of Democrats believe these efforts haven’t been sufficient.
More than half of people who feel the response from public officials has been lacking also feel their mental health has worsened since January. Despite their opinion of government reaction to the pandemic, 42% of people who believe public officials have overreacted also identified their mental health has worsened since the start of the year.
For many people, the fear of COVID-19 is primarily focused on family members. More than 2 in 5 Americans, 44%, were concerned their family members weren’t taking the novel coronavirus pandemic seriously enough, led by 48% of millennials and 40% of Generation X Americans.
People who have extended family members living with them, including children, older parents, and spouses, were more likely to believe they had a greater chance of contracting COVID-19. On average, 42% of people with three other family members living with them believed they would contract the new coronavirus over the next year.
Compared to 44% of Americans who were more concerned about unknowingly spreading the virus, 50% of people were primarily worried about contracting the virus themselves. Millennials (49%) were the most likely generation to report being more concerned about spreading the disease than contracting it personally.
At the end of the day, the impact of COVID-19 on the American public extends far beyond concerns over physical symptoms. Many people report a deeply negative impact on their mental health as a result of the global pandemic, in addition to fear of both spreading and contracting the disease. As we continue to think about adapting to the new normal, it’s clear that the emotional response to this pandemic will be just as important as the practical response.
