03/16/2020 / By Ethan Huff
A new survey has found that a majority of those convinced that news coverage about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is exaggerated identify as Republicans, while less than one in three Democrats is questioning the media’s narrative about the pandemic.
An Axios / SurveyMonkey poll of 4,512 American adults surveyed between March 5-9 found that 62 percent of Republicans and those who “lean Republican” aren’t buying mainstream media reporting about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), presumably because many of these news outlets have been lying and spreading fake news about other things for years.
The pandemic has become a partisan affair, in other words, with self-identifying conservatives believing that the whole thing will eventually just blow over with little impact, and life will return to normal. Democrats, on the other hand, are much more in favor of taking government-advised precautions, including social distancing, self-isolation, and even mandatory quarantines.
The question they were all asked stated, “Thinking about what is said in the news, in your view is the seriousness of coronavirus generally exaggerated, generally correct, or is it generally underestimated?”
A mere three out of 10 Republicans believes that news coverage pertaining to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is “generally correct,” while nearly half of all Democrats believe what they’re being told. And about 20 percent of Democrats believe that media reporting about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is “generally underestimated,” while only seven percent of Republicans feel this way.
As for the independents, 35 percent believe that media coverage of the pandemic is exaggerated, while 45 percent think it’s correct. Only 16 percent of independents believe that the media is underestimating the severity of this burgeoning global crisis.
The vast majority of people in all political camps who believe media coverage about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is exaggerated fall between the ages of 18 to 64, while most of those in the 65-plus age category believe the media is telling them the truth.
Interestingly, most people who make less than $50,000 per year also believe the media, while most of those who make more than this believe that the media is stretching the truth to make the crisis worse than it needs to be.
Listen below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how members of Congress will soon be dropping dead from the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19):
When further asked about how likely they are to avoid large events because of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), 58 percent of respondents said they probably will. However, 52 percent said they probably won’t be avoiding, public spaces like restaurants, shopping malls and movie theaters, while 64 percent said they don’t plan to avoid social gatherings at the homes of friends and family members.
Shockingly, almost three out of four people surveyed on all sides of the political spectrum say they don’t believe a mandatory two-week quarantine imposed by the government would threaten their personal rights, even though it would prevent them from moving about freely.
In a separate but related survey involving 2,200 American adults, researchers from a group known as Morning Consult found that 74 percent of people are concerned about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). If the virus were to spread in their communities, more than 60 percent admitted that they would be less likely to go to a concert, use public transport, go to a movie theater, visit an amusement park, attend a sporting event or go to a museum.
To keep up with the latest news coverage about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), be sure to check out Pandemic.news.
Also, check out one of our other new articles about how cities with large homeless populations are going to have a tough time controlling the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
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