WASHINGTON, March 17 — Some 60 per cent of Americans are now “very” or “somewhat worried” they or a family member will be exposed to the coronavirus, up from 36 per cent in February, while confidence in the government's ability to respond has fallen sharply, a new poll showed.
The Gallup poll was conducted on March 2-13, shortly after the first positive case of the fast-spreading virus was reported in the United States, and came as the administration of President Donald Trump accelerated its response to the pandemic.
Sixty-one per cent of Americans are “very” or “somewhat confident” in the US government's ability to respond, a drop of 16 per cent from February, the poll showed.
Trump, after initially downplaying the risks of the outbreak, last week declared a national emergency and yesterday urged Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and halt most social activities for 15 days to halt the spread of the disease.
The move came as financial markets tumbled despite a second emergency rate cut by the Federal Reserve, and Trump warned the US economy could tip into recession as a result of the virus.
The Gallup poll showed increased worry about the outbreak among all major subgroups, surpassing that seen during previous health scares such as SARS, West Nile virus and anthrax.
It said the results showed a significant partisan divide among those polled, with 73 per cent of Democrats the most worried of any group, compared to just 42 per cent of Republicans.
Only 43 per cent of Democrats were “very” or “somewhat confident” in the U government's ability to respond, down from 75 per cent in February. By contrast, 85 per cent of Republicans were very or somewhat confident, a one-percentage point drop from the earlier poll.
Over 85 per cent of Americans now believe the coronavirus will have a “very” or "somewhat negative" impact on the global economy, up from 65 per cent in the previous poll, Gallup said. — Reuters
