Most Americans say Trump was too slow in initial response to coronavirus threat

President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak – especially his response to initial reports of cases overseas – is widely criticized by Americans, with nearly two-thirds of adults saying he was too slow to take major steps to address the threat. The public also strikes a decidedly cautious note on easing strict limits on public activity. About twice as many Americans say their greater concern is that state governments will lift restrictions on public activity too quickly as say that governments will not do this quickly enough.

• See all of our coronavirus coverage
• Views on how Trump is characterizing the outbreak
• New findings on the 2020 election and views of congressional leadership

Health concerns from COVID-19 much higher among Hispanics and blacks than whites

Majorities of Americans are concerned that they may contract COVID-19 and that they may unknowingly spread it to others. Yet these concerns are much more widespread among black and Hispanic adults than among white adults. Black Americans also are far more likely than Hispanic and white Americans to know someone who has been hospitalized or has died due to having the coronavirus.

• If ventilators become scarce, what should the priority be for critical care?
• Lower-income parents most concerned about their children falling behind amid COVID-19 school closures
• Most Americans don’t think cellphone tracking will help limit COVID-19, are divided on whether it’s acceptable
• It’s clear where college students are counted in the 2020 census, but not others who moved due to COVID-19

Early in outbreak, Americans cited claims about risk level and details of coronavirus as made-up news

During the early days of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, about half of Americans said they had encountered at least some completely made-up news about it. But what were they seeing? A new analysis of open-ended survey responses finds the largest category of perceived made-up information centered around the level of risk associated with the coronavirus. Americans also reported seeing made-up news about the origins of, and cures for, the virus.

• Explore data about COVID-19 misinformation in our interactive tool

Americans see spread of disease as top international threat

U.S. adults continue to see many international issues – including terrorism, the spread of nuclear weapons and cyberattacks – as major threats to the well-being of the nation. But as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe, the greatest threat named by Americans in a March survey is the spread of infectious diseases.

• U.S. concern about climate change is rising, but mainly among Democrats

Podcast: How is the coronavirus affecting Americans?

Vice President of Research Claudia Deane discusses our latest survey findings on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak in The Pew Charitable Trusts’ “After the Fact” podcast.

Analyzing international survey data with the pewmethods R package

Pew Research Center makes most of its survey data available for free online. In a new post on our methods blog, Decoded, you can learn how to analyze our international survey data using the Center’s recently released R package.

• Introducing pewmethods: An R package for working with survey data
• Exploring survey data with the pewmethods R package
• Weighting survey data with the pewmethods R package

Half of Americans have decided not to use a product or service because of privacy concerns

Half of Americans say the Bible should influence U.S. laws, including 28% who say the Bible should take priority over the will of the people

Americans in both parties want an ethical president, but Democrats are more likely to say that’s ‘very important’

Fast facts about South Koreans’ views of democracy

From our research