Americans' Thoughts on Protecting Themselves and their Families from COVID-19
The majority of those surveyed (66 percent) were confident they could protect themselves and their families from COVID-19 if it becomes widespread in the U.S. Only 10 percent thought they were likely to get the virus at the time of the survey.
When asked about possible community mitigation strategies to control spread of the virus, 89 percent of respondents said they would support a U.S. government-imposed mandatory quarantine for those who are infected with the virus and voluntary home quarantine for up to two weeks for people who have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.
Most respondents (83 percent) also supported closures of K-12 schools for up to two weeks if any student, staff member, or teacher is found to have the virus, 74 percent supported postponing or canceling mass gatherings such as concerts, festivals or sporting events, and 58 percent supported closing workplaces or businesses to keep their employees healthy.
When asked about their own willingness to engage in preventive behaviors, 47 percent strongly agreed, and 42 percent agreed they would be willing to quarantine themselves at home for two weeks until being sure they were not infected.
In terms of current preventive actions that respondents were taking to prevent infection with the virus, the survey found that the majority of respondents (72 percent) reported they were washing their hands with soap and water more often to protect themselves and 52 percent said they are using more disinfectants like hand sanitizers on a daily basis. About one-third were avoiding shaking hands.
Sixty percent of those surveyed said they disagreed that the media is exaggerating the seriousness of the virus.