CivicScience checked in on how Americans are managing stress during the coronavirus pandemic. More than 39% of Americans say they are not stressed out:
Stress levels even out a bit in the age category, with little difference in stress, although Millennials appear to have a few more non-stressed individuals.
Stress Reducing Techniques
So what are people doing to combat stress? A little bit of this, a little bit of that.
Five percent of Americans report using meditation or calming apps to soothe their coronavirus fears, whereas only 2% of Americans report seeking therapy for their stress.
Another 5% of Americans report using over-the-counter stress relief products – like CBD products – to help with their coronavirus coping. Women are almost twice as likely as men to go down this path, and 7% of Gen Z 18 or older and 7% of Millennials are using over-the-counter stress relief products.
Then there’s the “kitchen sink” folks, who are using something else to manage their stress over the coronavirus. And the “something else” category is again dominated by Gen Z, who say they’re using “something else” to manage their coronavirus fears.
News Consumption
Forget the old days of the 24-hour news cycle; the coronavirus has pretty much made things the .24 second news cycle. In the last few weeks, not a moment has gone by without more to be said about the spread of the virus. And it can be overwhelming. In fact, only 38% of Americans say they’re balancing news consumption.
There are some stark differences in who is, and who is not, handling the news as it comes. Interestingly, income doesn’t matter, education barely matters. Gender, however, matters. A lot. Women are more likely than men to say balancing how much news they are taking in as a way to manage their stress.
Obviously, America is still in the early stages of dealing with the coronavirus, and stress levels are sure to ebb and flow as the battle to defeat the virus continues. CivicScience will be tracking this data carefully.
