Fewer people are open to sheltering at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus, according to Gallup polling, even though the number of infected is much higher now than last spring.
Fewer than half of the respondents in the Gallup poll, 49%, currently say they would be very likely to stay home for a month if public health officials recommended it due to a serious outbreak of the virus in their community. Over two-thirds, 67%, held that same view in early April as much of the nation was locked down.
The increased resistance largely falls along party lines, with 40% of Republicans being less willing to follow shelter-in-place rules, compared to 74% last spring. An increased number of Democrats are also less open to a lockdown, 87% currently versus 91% in March and April.
Despite Americans’ reduced willingness to shelter in place, an increased number of respondents think the pandemic is getting worse when compared to April, 61% to 56%, respectively. Daily COVID-19 counts support their position.
Nearly 62,000 people were in hospitals with COVID-19 Tuesday, according to the COVID Tracking Project, the highest such total for the United States in the pandemic, eclipsing the initial outbreak in the spring. The reported daily case count, nearly 131,000, was also the highest of the pandemic.
One possible reason for the disconnect between American’s resistance to sheltering at home while also viewing the pandemic as worsening is that respondents have greater confidence in their ability to protect themselves from being infected by the coronavirus when out in public, compared to April.
“The percentage feeling very or somewhat confident in their ability to avoid infection rose from 68% in mid-April to 82% in June and has since remained at that level. … Mask-wearing likely has something to do with this increase in confidence,” Gallup reported.
Mask usage has increased since the pandemic hit the nation last spring, from 51% in April to 88% between mid-October and early November.
Gallup conducted its latest polling between Oc. 19 and Nov. 1. It noted that while the polling was being conducted, 31 states were experiencing their highest one-day new infection rates thus far.
