Political views are impacting every single decision Americans make today, from the brands we support, and the items we buy; to the content we stream and restaurants we frequent. And it’s particularly true in how politics are impacting consumers’ concerns over the COVID-19 (coronavirus) right now.
A CivicScience survey of over 10,600 respondents in the past 7 days show that overall coronavirus concern among American adults is at 78%. The majority of American adults are at least somewhat concerned that the coronavirus will become an epidemic in the U.S.
Upon looking at this by political makeup, we see that Moderates, but even more so Liberals, show the most concern about the coronavirus, while political Conservatives are more likely to feel not concerned in the slightest.
Could it be, by chance, due to the influence of cable media consumed? The data sure suggests so. Those who watch Fox News report the least amount of concern over COVID-19, while MSNBC and CNN viewers show the greatest levels of it. Those who don’t watch cable news much, if they do at all, are somewhere in the middle of the two.
No matter how you feel about COVID-19 and its potential to spread in the U.S., it likely mimics your concern over climate change and the environment. The correlation between climate change and coronavirus concern is remarkable. Those most concerned about climate change and the environment are the most concerned about the coronavirus’ spread.
Just as striking is how coronavirus concern correlates with concern about income inequality.
Just how much will politics affect coronavirus concern, and frankly, Americans taking proper precautions to stop its spread, once it proliferates across the states? CivicScience is tracking daily coronavirus sentiment among Americans to measure how it’s impacting daily habits, spending, travel, and more.
Sign up for our webinar this Friday, March 13th to see our latest analysis on COVID-19 and how it’s impacting the US consumer.
