Poll: Little change in America’s virus concerns

By Stephen Groves and Hannah Fingerhut

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Deaths from the coronavirus pandemic are spiking across the country, yet a new poll finds little increase in alarm among Americans about COVID-19 infections and no significant change in opinion about how the government should act to slow the spread.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds about 4 in 10 Americans say they are extremely or very worried about themselves or a family member being infected with the virus, about the same as in October and slightly lower than in surveys conducted in March and in July.

Stable majorities continue to favor requirements that people wear masks and limit the size of gatherings.

The risks of infection are greater than ever across broad swaths of the country — more than 1 million people tested positive for the coronavirus over five days last week. The surge has led to record numbers of daily virus deaths as the U.S. topped 300,000 people dying from the virus over the course of the pandemic.

The nation’s top health officials have pleaded with Americans to redouble their efforts to prevent infections, especially during the holidays. Roughly three-quarters of Americans say they’re at least somewhat worried about the virus, a figure that’s about the same as in October. In March and July, about half of Americans were highly worried.

Support for stay-at-home orders peaked in April, with about 8 in 10 in favor, and has steadily dipped since. Fifty percent now support requiring Americans to stay home except for essential errands, up from 44% in October. Now 45% favor closing bars and restaurants, just slightly higher than 41% two months ago. About a third of Americans oppose both steps.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,117 adults, conducted Dec. 3-7, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Vice President Mike Pence, head of the coronavirus task force, speaks Tuesday in Bloomington, Ind.