Thursday, May 14, 2020

Many Americans Say They Talk Pandemic Most or Almost All The Time

Despite most Americans saying they need to take breaks from COVID-19 news, 44% of U.S. adults report discussing the coronavirus pandemic most or almost all the time, whether online, in person, or over the phone, according to a new analysis of data from Pew Research Center's American News Pathways project. 

Overall, 31% of adults say they are discussing the outbreak with other people most of the time, while another 13% say they are talking about it almost all the time. The largest share of Americans (45%) say they sometimes discuss the coronavirus outbreak with other people, while 11% say they hardly ever or never discuss it with others. 

There are modest demographic differences in how often Americans talk about the outbreak. Women are more likely than men (47% vs. 41%) to say they do so most or almost all of the time, as are black adults (52%) when compared with Hispanic (46%) and white adults (42%). Older Americans appear to be at higher risk from the virus, but they are less likely than younger adults to talk about it frequently: Among those ages 65 and older, 38% say they talk about it most or almost all of the time, lower than the shares in all other age groups. 

Experts also found that education and party identification are linked to how often Americans talk about the virus. The new analysis stems from a survey conducted online April 20-26, 2020, among 10,139 U.S. adults who are members of the Center's American Trends Panel.

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