People appear to be doing their part to fight the spread of the coronavirus by practicing some social distancing, and 8 in 10 are ready to do even more by sheltering in place.
“Americans,” said the latest Gallup survey, have “stepped up their already considerable efforts to engage in social distancing in response to the novel coronavirus.”
The numbers strongly suggest that the nation is taking the crisis seriously and is willing to continue the battle even as the administration talks up getting some parts of the country not wracked by the virus back to work and school.
Gallup gauged social distancing in the United States and found that 96% are practicing some form of it. Some 64% are completely or mostly isolated, and only 4% said that they “did not make any attempt to isolate yourself from people outside your household.”
The Gallup team also asked about the likelihood of staying home for a month if public health officials recommended it to slow the virus outbreak. Some 82% said they were likely to follow the recommendation, with 58% “very likely.”
The survey noted that the public over the past few weeks has become much more likely to follow the government’s recommendations.
“These shifts are notable because they suggest that the unprecedented efforts by federal, state, local, and private-sector leaders to get the public’s attention — a combination of formal closures of transportation, schools, and workplaces, as well as public appeals for voluntary efforts — are working,” said Gallup.
