A USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research survey about the novel coronavirus found that 85% of respondents report washing their hands or using hand sanitizer more frequently. (Photo: Jean-Paul Chassenet/Alamy.)

People in the U.S. are changing behavior and anticipating the fallout of COVID-19

A new USC survey offers a snapshot of how coronavirus has changed behavior in America, from stockpiling emergency supplies and food to hygiene. [1¾ min read]

ByJenesse Miller and Julie Labich March 13, 2020

Amid the rise of the coronavirus pandemic, many people in the United States perceive health and economic risks and are changing their behavior. That’s according to a new survey conducted by researchers at the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.

The results so far show that people are bracing for the health and economic fallout of the pandemic: about one in eight people said there was a relatively high chance they could lose their job, while nearly one in five said there was a relatively high chance they could run out of money.

Daniel Bennett, assistant professor (research) of economics at USC Dornsife, and Wändi Bruine de Bruin, Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science, led the study.

“The coronavirus is both a health threat and an economic threat,” said Bennett. “The social distancing measures that are needed to limit transmission will also cause a lot of hardship. Many people do not feel that they can work remotely.” Bennett is an economist at CESR who studies how people make health decisions. He previously studied the 2003 SARS epidemic.

How people are protecting themselves

Most but not all respondents reported taking actions to protect themselves.

85% said they have been washing their hands or using hand sanitizer more frequently
More than 60% reported engaging in various forms of social distancing
A quarter say they have avoided restaurants
In a pattern that could have indirect health implications, 6% of respondents say they have canceled or postponed a medical appointment
Two of every nine say they have been stockpiling food and water

While most are taking action, it appears not all are stepping up handwashing, “which seems like a potential concern unless they were already perfect at handwashing,” said Bruine de Bruin, who co-directs the behavioral sciences program at the USC Schaeffer Center.

The survey is among the first in the nation to examine the extent of Americans’ concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

See USC News for more on the story >>

About the survey

The sample of 2,436 U.S. residents participated March 10–12. The margin of sampling error is +/-2%. The sample is preliminary, with full results to be released in the coming weeks.

Survey respondents are members of the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research’s Understanding America Study (UAS) probability-based internet panel. The survey was funded by USC. Information about the survey and the UAS panel, including methodology, question wording and results is available upon request to uas-l@usc.edu, and will be posted online at uasdata.usc.edu when the survey is complete.

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