CDC Says Most Americans Support COVID-19 Prevention Measures

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a new report stating that the majority of Americans support measures intended to prevent or slow the spread of the novel coronavirus behind COVID-19. The statement is based on a survey of thousands of Americans from across the nation; the data was recently published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The survey took place from early to mid-May and involved more than 4,000 US adults. Using census data, the CDC targeted a representative population based on categories like ethnicity, age, and gender. Of the more than 2,000 adults whose data was analyzed, the CDC found that just under 80-percent support COVID-19 prevention measures.

These measures include personal actions like wearing fabric face masks and using hand sanitizer, as well as broader social measures like enforcing social distancing practices, closing non-essential businesses, stay-home orders to prevent upticks in infection rates, and similar things.

Breaking down the numbers, the CDC reports that 74-percent of people were in favor of wearing face masks in public, 80-percent were in favor of maintaining social distancing practices, and 86-percent were in favor of avoiding groups of 10 or more people. In particular, respondents from New York and Los Angeles showed the most support for these measures.

Beyond that, the CDC says that more than 74-percent of people surveyed reported that they'd feel unsafe if the restrictions were lifted, while 77-percent reported self-isolating and 84-percent said their state's preventative efforts were either just right or not strong enough. Of course, the CDC notes that these responses were based on how the participants felt in early to mid-May.