2020 COVID-19 Research -April
Introduction
This brief presents results from the second of a three-part research series by the Cause & Social Influence initiative to track young Americans’ actions related to the 2020 COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The study covers actions during the three weeks preceding April 17, or five weeks after the White House officially declared the pandemic.
Little changed from the first to the second study in how respondents felt President Trump is addressing the challenge. Almost two-thirds of young people (ages 18-30) said President Trump is handling the situation from slightly to extremely well (63% now, 65% in the first study), along with nearly a third who said he’s not handling it well at all (32% now, 30% in the first study).
Local government played a larger role for young people than initially, becoming the number-one source of requests for respondents to take actions to prevent the spread of the virus. Concurrently, young people continued putting the most trust in nonprofits and local governments to do what’s right during this time.
In another 30 days, we will conduct a third study to reflect how these times are affecting the social actions of young Americans.
Research Protocol
For this second phase of the research, a quantitative approach was taken with an online survey fielded from 6 PM to 10 PM EST on April 17, 2020, to collect data about the actions taken by young Americans (ages 18-30) related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) during the preceding one to three weeks. The survey had 1,190 respondents from a nationally representative sample based on census-projected ethnic and demographic composition. With this response rate, the data presented has a 95% confidence interval and 3% margin of error. Visit causeandsocialinfluence.com/research-april2020 for more information on the survey sample.
In analyzing data and drawing conclusions about behavior during this pandemic, researchers acknowledge the restrictions suggested and imposed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), the White House, state and local governments and employers. During the period covered by the survey, cities, counties and states were issuing various degrees of stay-at-home directives. Only essential services were open, with many limited to delivery and drive-through service. On April 16, both the New York Post and The Washington Post reported that the crisis had put more than 22 million Americans out of work.
Key Findings
1. Almost 60% of young Americans were not receiving news about COVID-19 from online influencers.
2. Local government had the most influence on whether young Americans acted to stop the spread of COVID-19.
3. Supporting local business was the best way young Americans sought to support others during the pandemic.
4. Healthcare reform tops the list of social issues young Americans made donations to, while they volunteered (virtually or in person) most for animals/ animal rights.
Conclusion
This is the second of three reports at 30, 60 and 90 days into the officially declared COVID-19 pandemic. As we head into the summer and fall, the actions and opportunities available to support others weathering this extraordinary time may change, as could the causes and issues young people normally support and attend to. We will continue observing their changing behaviors in real time. Ultimately, our biggest research interest is whether actions during this pandemic have a lasting effect on social issue involvement that makes causes and companies change the way they approach and engage young Americans in the future.
