Press Release: America and the Coronavirus

MARBLEHEAD, Mass., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Americans are worried about the impact of the coronavirus on our health care system and the U.S. economy. At least 1 in 2 Americans believe the coronavirus poses a serious risk to the U.S. economy (52%) and that there is a serious risk that coronavirus could overwhelm our health care system (53%), according to a new survey conducted this weekend by Brookmark Research, a leading full-service marketing research firm.

Two in three (63%) Americans believe the virus is somewhat or very likely to trigger an economic recession if it spreads significantly in the U.S., and nearly half (45%) think the coronavirus has already wreaked enough havoc globally that it will cause a recession in the United States. In fact, 43% of Americans believe that the coronavirus is a bigger threat to our economy than to people’s health.

The health care system and the economy are just two of many significant concerns Americans have related to the coronavirus, the study found. Half of Americans think there is a serious risk that coronavirus will disrupt our daily lives (50%), that many people in the U.S. will get sick from the coronavirus (47%), that there will be shortages of medicine (45%), and that there will be shortages of other important products (45%). Over half of those employed (56%) say that it would be difficult for them to work from home for several weeks.

The study also found that the coronavirus is already affecting Americans’ travel plans. More than one in three Americans planning to travel in the next three months say they have either canceled plans or are considering canceling plans, including 57% of business travelers and 28% of people traveling for pleasure. Of those who use public transportation to get to work, 42% are considering using another form of travel to get there.

Meanwhile, people aren’t generally prepared should coronavirus affect them quickly or unexpectedly. Only 18% have stocked up on food and water, 7% have withdrawn cash to be sure they have some on hand, and just 12% have developed an emergency supply kit.

If they were exposed to coronavirus and required to self-quarantine, 3 out of 4 Americans say they are concerned about having enough food or water to last two weeks (78%) and having needed medications for them and their family (75%). Nearly the same number (67%) say they are concerned about being able to assist others that they help care for, if they are quarantined.

The Brookmark study is the first comprehensive research study to date to evaluate Americans’ general preparedness and concerns about the coronavirus. The company surveyed more than 1,000 Americans nationwide between Feb. 29 and March 1.

“At this point, Americans are still much more worried about the ripple effects on our economy, and disruptions of their daily lives, work and travel than they are about the direct threat of getting the coronavirus themselves,” said Eric Paquette, managing director of Brookmark Research, who ran the study. 

The study found that two in three (63%) believe there is a real risk of a widespread outbreak of the coronavirus in the U.S and only one in three (34%) expect that threat to blow over quickly. And yet only 4% believe that it is very likely that they will get the coronavirus themselves, only 7% believe that it is very likely that someone they know will get the coronavirus, and only 10% say that they and their family are very prepared in the event of a significant spread.

About Brookmark Research 
Brookmark Research provides custom marketing research solutions that help brands assess and define their marketing strategies. The company supports both brands and other marketing research suppliers with survey programming and hosting, sample procurement, field management, data delivery and dashboard analytics. Learn more about Brookmark Research at www.brookmark.com.

Contact:  
Lisa Lazarczyk, LAZ PR  
617-838-7327 or lisa@lazpr.com