Gallup: Worry About Catching COVID-19 Drops to Record Low

•  35% of Americans are worried about catching COVID-19, down from 49%
• 77% say the COVID-19 situation in the U.S. is improving, up from 60%
• 64% report at least a fair amount of disruption to their lives, down from 70%

At the same time Americans' satisfaction with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has surged, their concerns about getting the virus and about the availability of coronavirus tests and hospital services/treatment have fallen to record lows.

Thirty-five percent of U.S. adults now say they are very or somewhat worried about contracting COVID-19, the lowest point in Gallup's trend since April 2020. Twenty-two percent of Americans are very or moderately worried about access to hospital services/treatment, and 14% are just as worried about access to COVID-19 tests.

These data come from Gallup's latest COVID-19 probability-based web panel survey, conducted March 15-21 as vaccination rates continued to climb across the country. The current 35% worried about contracting COVID-19 is down 14 percentage points from February, and well off the record-high 59% of Americans who voiced concerns about catching the disease last summer. That high came as the number of COVID-19 cases surged following the lifting of restrictions on businesses in June.

Worry about contracting COVID-19 is down among almost all key segments of society since February, especially among older adults. The decline among older Americans, and the decline more generally, may be tied to the increase in the percentage of Americans who are fully vaccinated. That group has one of the lowest levels of worry among all major subgroups, with 21% (down from 36%) expressing concerns about getting COVID-19.

Roughly Eight in 10 Americans See Situation Improving

This decline in worry comes as Americans' assessment of the COVID-19 situation in the U.S. is the most positive, by far, that it's been at any point during the pandemic. Seventy-seven percent of Americans now say the situation is getting better, up from 60% in February and 33% in January. Before January, the high was 47%, recorded last June as states were lifting restrictions on businesses. Positive impressions of the situation have sunk below 20% several times, including as recently as December.

As the situation with COVID-19 evolves, Radio’s role is even more important than usual.

In an effort to keep the industry informed, NuVoodoo Research has been tracking both the awareness and concern of Americans, and their usage and dependence on media during this unusual time.