SURVEY: AMERICANS INCREASINGLY WORRIED ABOUT THE

CORONAVIRUS
As the scope of the global outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow, Americans are becoming more
worried about a possible infection from the new coronavirus. According to new survey data from AP-
NORC, a growing number of Americans report that they are following recommendations to curb the
spread of the virus including increased handwashing (88% of respondents), avoiding crowds (68%), and
resisting touching their face (59%). 

Key findings from the survey include:

 Two-thirds of Americans (66%) are at least somewhat concerned about someone in their family
contracting the coronavirus, up from 45 percent in February.
 More than half of Americans (57%) plan to avoid domestic travel and nearly nine in 10
Americans (87%) plan to avoid international trips.
 Nearly 60 percent of Americans report getting their information about coronavirus from
traditional news sources. 

"Many people report taking simple steps, like covering their cough or avoiding touching their face, to
reduce disease transmission. However, many people will need to take more significant steps of social
distancing and canceling travel to flatten the curve of this outbreak," said Caroline Pearson, senior vice
president at NORC at the University of Chicago.

The full survey findings can be found here.

The nationwide poll was conducted March 12-16, 2020 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-
based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and
cell phones were conducted with 1,003 adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.3
percentage points.
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To speak with someone from NORC at the University of Chicago about Americans’ views of the
coronavirus, please contact Frank Walsh at 202-697-2029 or FWalsh@MessagePartnersPR.com.  

About NORC at the University of Chicago

NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and
rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, NORC has conducted
groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific
integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with NORC
to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge. www.norc.org