Poll shows Americans changing behavior

People canceling trips, working from home, avoiding restaurants

Many Americans already are making significant changes to their behavior as the coronavirus pandemic spreads, including canceling trips, avoiding crowds and working from home — and nearly 40% say they have felt anxious about it, a new poll out Friday from California researchers shows.

“A majority of people are mobilizing,” said Daniel Bennett, an assistant professor at USC who helped lead the study. “People are taking action, but we could be doing more.”

Overall, 85% of those questioned in the USC poll said they have been washing their hands or using hand sanitizer more frequently because of the coronavirus, and 61% said they have been practicing some kind of “social distancing” to help reduce their risk of infection.

That included 45% who said they have been avoiding contact “with people who could be highrisk,” and 42% who said they have avoided large crowds and public events.

“I was surprised with how many people are already implementing behaviors to protect themselves,” said Wändi Bruine de Bruin, the provost professor of public policy, psychology and behavioral science at USC, who also

helped lead the research.

“Two days ago, when we were taking this survey, there was still a lot of uncertainty about what to do,” Bruine de Bruin said.

A smaller total — just 7% — said they have worn a face mask because of the virus. But 22% — more than 1 in 5 Americans — said they have been stockpiling food and water. Some products at grocery stores, particularly hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and in some places toilet paper, have been running low as Americans prepare to spend more time at home in the coming weeks.

Many families already have made major lifestyle choices.

The survey found 25% of

Americans said they have avoided restaurants, 20% have canceled pleasure trips and 18% have begun working or studying from home because of the coronavirus.

Those numbers are likely to increase significantly as schools and universities continue to close across California and the rest of the United States, and as private companies tell workers to work from home.

In recent days, major employers — including tech giants such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and Amazon — have asked employees to work from home.

Other corporations, including Chevron, AT&T and The Washington Post, have taken similar steps in some or all their locations.

Bennett noted that many people do not have the ability to work from home in

their jobs, which makes it harder for them to keep a social distance.

But canceling vacations and avoiding restaurants, movies and sporting events has a major cost to the economy, Bennett said.

He cited the popular “South by Southwest” film, music and media festival in Texas that was due to take place this month but was canceled.

“That’s millions of dollars that won’t go into Austin’s economy,” he said. “It’s happening all over the country.”

The personal choices, recommended by doctors to slow the spread of the virus, could tip the country into a recession, some economists say.

“We may be somewhat successful in controlling the spread of the disease, but the economic ramifications can persist,” Bennett

said. “Once people lose money and their jobs, that takes a while to come out of.”

The coronavirus also has begun to affect the mood and mental health of Americans.

Asked how often they have felt “nervous, anxious or on edge” because of the outbreak, 24% of Americans said they have felt that way on several days, 7% said they have during more than half the days and 7% said they have every day. An additional 61% said they have not felt that way.

The nation’s religious beliefs also came through in the responses.

When asked about the effectiveness of various ways to combat the virus, 91% of Americans said washing hands frequently was either extremely or somewhat effective.

Half of Americans said

that praying was either an extremely effective method (33%) or somewhat effective method (16%) of dealing with coronavirus, but 26% called praying extremely ineffective and 8% said that it was somewhat ineffective.

The survey of 2,436 U.S. residents, funded by USC, is among the first in the nation to examine the extent of Americans’ concerns about the outbreak. It was taken earlier this week, from Tuesday to Thursday.

Both Bennett and Bruine de Bruin said the results are preliminary, and the survey is expected to be completed and published next week. If they are able to secure

funding, they said they hope to conduct similar surveys in the coming weeks and months.

As of Friday afternoon, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States was 2,006, and there were 42 deaths.

On Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency as medical experts said a slow roll out of tests from the federal government has allowed the virus to spread widely across the nation, with many more cases expected to surface.