Social Distancing Efforts Are Now Cemented Into American Life

Authored by Justin McCarthy via Gallup.com,

Avoiding public transportation such as planes, buses, subways or trains (89%) and small gatherings (84%) has become the norm for more than eight in 10 Americans. Nearly as many Americans are avoiding public places such as stores and restaurants (78%) out of concern about COVID-19. A smaller majority of U.S. adults (61%) have stocked up on food, medical or cleaning supplies.

Majorities of Americans have reported taking each of these actions since Gallup polling conducted March 20-22, and figures for most measures have remained at about their current levels since then.

The latest results, from a probability-based Gallup Panel survey conducted online April 6-9, reflect Americans’ reported actions they have taken to socially distance themselves since late March.

Some notable differences by subgroup include:

• Adults aged 18 to 44 are a bit more likely than older adults to have taken each of these actions.

• Solid majorities within all major political party groups report having taken these measures — but Democrats are most likely to report having done so. The biggest differences between Democrats and Republicans are seen in the percentages saying they’ve avoided public places (86% among Democrats and 70% among Republicans) and avoided small gatherings (92% among Democrats and 74% among Republicans).

• Few differences exist across income groups in terms of actions they have taken — except for the percentages saying they’ve stocked up on food, medical or cleaning supplies. While at least six in 10 higher-income households (66%) and middle-income households (61%) report having stocked up, less than half of lower-income households (49%) say the same.

A majority of working adults (63%) say they have worked from home as a result of concerns about the pandemic — on par with the 59% to 63% recorded since March 23.

Meanwhile, one in five U.S. workers have stayed home and have been unable to work as a result of the outbreak. This figure has ranged from 19% to 25% since March 16.