Coping with Coronavirus?
Most citizens (85%) report that their household has faced lost income or other financial constraints due to the Coronavirus. Citizens have also been affected by increased food prices (28%) and reduced interaction with friends (23%).
Furthermore, when asked to cite the negative impacts of the Coronavirus, 7 out of 10 citizens name negative business and economic impacts (70%) and 55% cite the closure of businesses and schools. Also, one in three mention deaths (28%) and one in four (25%) fear contracting the virus themselves.
Seven out of ten households (68%) report that their basic daily food intake has become worse over the previous month, including three out of ten (26%) who say it has become much worse. This may be related to half of citizens (52%) reporting that food prices have increased in the last two weeks.
Despite the worries expressed by citizens, 2 out of 3 are confident in the ability of national (66%) and county (64%) government to handle the outbreak. More specifically citizens are aware of a number of the measures instituted by government to protect against the spread of the virus and are largely supportive of these:
- Wearing masks in public: 75% are aware and 59% support it
- Keeping 1 metre away from others: 64% are aware and 46% support it
- Businesses mandated to have hand-washing facilities: 51% are aware and 38% support it
And citizens have been largely responsive to the public messaging and guidance from government: 9 out of 10 report washing their hands regularly (89%), 7 out of 10 wear masks in public (69%), while 5 out of 10 (48%) report only going out when necessary. Fewer citizens report not touching their faces (2%), avoiding public transport (4%), and avoiding public places (18%).
But a significant proportion of citizens do hold some misconceptions about the Coronavirus. One out of four (25%) believe that herbal remedies are effective and the same proportion think that vitamins can cure Covid-19. Two out of ten (16%) also think steam inhalation is an effective treatment and three out of ten believe that hot climate prevents the spread of the virus. Four out of ten (38%) believe that people without symptoms cannot spread the disease and the same share think that people who have recovered need to be avoided to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
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