Eileen Yam and Giancarlo Pasquini contributed to this chapter.
Five years after the beginning of the pandemic, the Americans largely see COVID-19 through the rearview mirror. In general, it is not that the virus is almost as dangerous as in 2020. However, deep political divisions persist in the disease. Democrats and Republicans are not in the same wavelength how much we deserve to take Covir-19 today. And the two parties have other reviews on how the public government of the Fitness Government and elected officials have controlled the pandemic.
Jump to read the perspectives of COVID-19 today, in particular: Do Americans still see COVID-19 as a main threat? | How harmful is Covid-19 and how much do we take it seriously?
Salta to read the prospects of the shield of others, in particular: What measures do they deserve for other people take to protect others when they are sick? | How do Americans wear masks?
Salta to read answers beyond and long in fitness emergencies. Looking back: how do Americans think that the country reacted to the COVVI-19 pandemic? | In the long term: how do Americans think we would respond to a long -term emergency in terms of physical condition?
Covid-19 pandemia was the most deadly in the history of the United States. And many have known the first handling virus: in our survey, 63% of American adults say that since February 2020, they have been positive for the virus, they have been informed through a physical care provider that had it or They are almost safe. With the emergency phase of public aptitude now, we have asked Americans if they take into account that the virus now represents a threat.
The component of Americans who say that Coronavirus is a main risk for non -public aptitude follows a model: there has been a global fall in the component of Americans who say this. And the component hole is less pronounced now that the general belief of risk has decreased considerably. (See the appendix for more details).
During the pandemic, scientists resonated in how COVID-19 can be more fatal than a flu without blood or a flu. But there was a fierce debate and generalized confusion about the severity of the virus and what other people do about it.
How do Americans feel today about the severity of COVID-19 and how do other people respond?
Republicans and Democrats differ significantly through the way they see COVVI-19 today, with the Democrats much more involved in this. Around three quarters of the Democrats (76%) say that COVVI-19 is worse than a flu or a flu, opposed to 36% of the Republicans who say this. On the consultation of how to be worried is the virus, we see a partisan gap: approximately three quarters of the Republicans (76 %) say that COVVI-19 is nothing we have to worry about, while 36 % of the Democrats say that Democrats say the same.
When it comes to knowing if other people are reviewed by Covid-19 when they feel ill, a giant majority of the Democrats (83%) says that other people review. But Republicans are much more divided. Approximately part (52%) say that it is dead to verify, while 44% say other people verify.
Many Americans have faced the pandemic aptitude rules. Today, similar actions of the two parties say they are quite transparent in the rules for someone who obtains COVID-19 (61% of the Democrats, 56% of the Republicans). But the really extensive minorities of the Democrats (36%) and the Republicans (41%) say they do not know what the existing directives are.
At the beginning of the pandemic, COVVI-19 fitness toll, namely, heavy in black and Hispanic adults. And in 2024, the largest inventories in black (75%) and Hispanics (64%) than white respondents (51%) claim that COVID-19 is worse than a flu without blood or a flu. This hole is promoted through the much smaller movements of the White Republicans who have this point of view (33%). When we look right among the Democrats, racial and ethnic fracture disappears almost: 80% of black democrats, 77% of Hispanic Democrats and 77% of white democrats say Covid-19 is worse than a flu or a flu.
The directives of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) establish several stages that other people can take to stop the propagation of COVID-19 and other diseases. Some of those directives, such as dressed in a mask, have been politically charged the pandemic. Five years later, how do Americans think of taking measures to save the spread of the disease?
We ask Americans what another people take another five movements for other people when they felt ill.
Around 3 rooms (74%) say that it is incredibly or very vital for other people with blood type symptoms to avoid touch with other vulnerable people, such as older and pregnant women. Of the five movements we have taken, it is the one that the respondents are the maximum vital. Only 6% say that it is not too vital or at all.
Americans feel much less strong in the other stages than other people can take to save the dissemination of the disease. Just under part (47%) of Americans say it is incredibly or very vital to stay in the house or at school when you feel sick. About 4 out of ten say the same about dressed in a mask in superpoblated environments (43%) and the COVVI-19 (41%) test, while one in 3 says that it is incredibly or very vital to cancel plans when you feel sick.
However, most Americans say that each of these movements is at least vital when other people feel ill. No more than a third says that one of those five measures is not too vital or not at all.
The most vital movements of the Democrats than the Republicans that these preventive movements are incredibly or very vital. The largest partisan gaps arise around the allocation of the mask and the tests.
Democrats from six other people ten say that it is incredibly or very use a mask in overpopulated environments when other people have cold symptoms, opposite to 26% of the Republicans who say this. A similar component of Republicans (25%) says that it is incredibly or very, approve a COVVI-19 test, in opposition to 57% of the Democrats.
This partisan scheme applies to other behaviors that can save the spread of diseases. For example, most of the two parties say it is incredibly or very vital for other people with blood type symptoms to avoid other vulnerable people. But it is a more widely sustained opinion among Democrats (84%) than Republicans (63%). Similarly, 56% of the Democrats who are incredibly or very vital that patients remain in the chamber or in school, in opposition to 37% of Republicans.
The facial mask was a decisive and intensely politicized symbol of the pandemic. Five years later, the vast majority of Americans (80%) say that they rarely or never bring a mask at points of sale and companies.
In general, only 4% of Americans say they used a mask or face that covers in points of sale or other corporations all or maximum of time in the last month. This has decreased around 88% in pandemia, and a majority (61%) masked at retail points of 2022.
In 2024, the small parts of the Americans who bring a mask were eclipsed through 80% who say they almost never wear masks.
The largest black actions (36%), Hispanics (27%) and Americans of Asian origin (32%) say they carried a mask at least one component of the time of the last month that White Americans (10%). This style is valid, whatever the component: between Democrats and Republicans, white adults are less probably that black, Hispanic or Asian adults who have masked at least the component of the time in the last month.
The percentage of Americans who report a mask in points of sale or retail businesses has decreased significantly since the beginning of 2021. Frequent mask operators are now so rare that the old partisan hole has previously almost disappeared.
It is also unlikely that Democrats and Republicans are also in a position they use in the last month (6% of the Democrats and 2% of the Republicans say it).
When we ask this consultation for the last time in 2022, there is a difference of 28 problems between the movements of the Republicans (14%) and the Democrats (42%) who said they used all or maximum mask.
However, in the last survey, there are between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to using a mask. For example, 76% of Republicans say they have never used a mask in the last month, in opposition to 47% of the Democrats who say this.
With five years of retrospect, we have asked the Americans what idea of Covvi-19 policies that public activity. We also asked questions about their point of view about how hospitals and government representatives answer.
During the pandemic, the government brought various restrictions to slow down the spread of the virus. For many Americans, these policies have replaced plans, schools, paintings and other facets of life.
Hospitals and medical centers were in the front line through the treatment of patients with COVVI-19 COVID-19, and 78% of Americans look and say they have done a task or intelligent to respond to the pandemic.
The opinions on the reaction of public aptitude and elected officials are less positive. In the existing survey, 56% of Americans say that public physical conditioning officials, such as those of CDC, have done a task or intelligent task, a lot of decrease that the component that said it at the beginning of Pandemicarray
For example, in March 2020, 79% of Americans said that public physical conditioning officials were doing a correct or intelligent task in responding to pandemic. In September 2022, this percentage to 54%.
Approximately part of American adults (49%) now give positive notes to the way in which their elected officials have responded to the pandemic. At the national level, 40% say that Joe Biden did a task or intelligent in responding to COVID-19, and 38% say the same as Donald Trump.
When thinking about the pandemic response, most Republicans (71%) and Democrats (87%) say that their hospitals and medical centers have responded well.
On the other hand, there is a greater component fracture on the quality of public aptitude officials: a much smaller component of Republicans (35%) than Democrats (79%) give them main notes.
When asked how Biden and Trump responded to the pandemic, the Democrats and the Republicans give exams aligned in their partisan tendencies. Among the Democrats, 68% say that Biden did a correct or intelligent job, in opposition to 14% of the Republicans. But when he asked to evaluate Trump, 67% of Republicans say he did a correct or intelligent job, in opposition to 10% of the Democrats.
We also ask the respondents to the survey how they believe that we would respond to a long-term emergency in terms of physical aptitude to the reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. These are issues of opinion that they expressed before the presidential elections of 2024.
Four Ten Americans are positive about the perspective of a long-term emergency intervention in emergency terms, saying that the country would make a greater reaction painting compared to Covid-19 pandemic. Only 16% think the United States would do it worse. And 43% say the country would do more or less the same.
Compared to the way they are divided into other questions from COVID-19, Democrats and Republicans are not so far from this issue. About 45% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans say the country would do better. The smallest movements of the Republicans (18%) and the Democrats (15%) say that the country would make it worse.
The American public fitness formula and the population of local communities play a role in the opposite combat to fitness emergencies.
Around six Americans at ten years (61%) say that the public aptitude formula would do a very intelligent task to administer a long -term emergency in terms of physical condition.
Democrats and Republicans differ in the long -term reaction of the public aptitude formula in the United States among the Democrats, 73% say they would do an intelligent task and 26% would say they would do a bad task. Republicans have more combined opinions, part saying that he would do an intelligent task and part saying that he would do a bad job.
But when they were asked to think of other people in their local community, Democrats and Republicans have a positive perspective. Most of the Democrats (72%) and the Republicans (68%) say they would do a very or intelligent job.
KNOWLEDGE FREEDING ON SATURDAY AT THE MORNING
Weekly updates of the global news and information
© 2025 Pew Research Center