STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Partisan gap in perceptions of COVID-19 vs. flu lethality widens in April
- Half of Republicans say death rate exaggerated; 5% of Democrats agree
- News diet strongly predicts attitudes on COVID-19 when facts get politicized
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The novel coronavirus pandemic provides a view into the deep partisan divisions that have persisted despite the unfolding national crisis. Two recent Gallup/Knight Foundation surveys find Americans’ understanding about the coronavirus is strongly shaped by partisan affiliation and news consumption habits, especially when basic facts are politicized.
Specifically, while Democrats and independents increasingly see COVID-19 as more deadly than the seasonal flu, Republicans’ views have not changed. And while Democrats tend to think the death toll from COVID-19 is understated, Republicans believe it is exaggerated.
The surveys were fielded March 17-29 and April 14-20, 2020, as part of Knight Foundation’s Trust, Media and Democracy initiative.
Republicans No More Likely Now to See COVID-19 as Deadlier Than Flu
There have been growing concerns over Americans getting false information about the coronavirus, especially as it relates to personal and public health. Generally, the Gallup/Knight surveys find that Americans are quite knowledgeable about coronavirus facts.
For instance, 88% of Americans know the coronavirus can be […]
I am neither a Democrat or a Republican and my IQ is 132. I study everything that I can find on Covid-19 .From what I am finding I’d say that you haven’t done a very good job of assessing the danger of Covid-19. You need to get away from the MSM and look at all of the info. I’m sure that if you do you will change your mind.
Johns Hopkins says the death rate is 30 per 100,000 in the. That’s 0.03%, mostly old people and people who already have a serious illness. Many have died from improper use of ventillators. Several thousand Americans die every day from cancer and heart disease.
I would say the “assessing” problem is, at least in the US, Big Pharma is in control. Rather than telling us we need a vaccine, how about looking at what works to deal with it? For example, Costa Rica uses HCQ (unlike other Central American countries) and has been very successful with treatment. HCQ has been around for about 80 years, is used not just for malaria but rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and has a great safety record. But, it is off-patent thus it is cheap and not “exciting” for the drug industry.