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Mar. 02, 2021 10:01AM EST
Axios-Ipsos poll: Americans' hopes rise after a year of COVID
Data: Axios/Ipsos Poll; Note: Margin of error for the entire sample is ±3.1%; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
During the last year, Americans have felt stressed out and worried about the coronavirus — but now more say they're hopeful as the vaccines become available, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
The big picture: Americans finally see some light at the end of the tunnel as we approach the one-year anniversary of the national emergency over the pandemic — a year that has been full of misery, mental anguish, and sickness and death here and around the world.
By the numbers: Our survey found that the negative emotions dominated over the last year. 41% of respondents said "stressed/worried" were the words that best described their mood during that time, with an equal percentage saying they were "frustrated."
- 26% said they felt "overwhelmed/burned out," while 19% chose "angry," 16% saying they were "sad" and 16% saying they were "discouraged."
Now, 48% said they are "hopeful" — up from 20% who said they felt that way during the past year.
- The negative emotions are still there, but they're less prevalent than during the past year. 20% say they're stressed or worried now, 20% say they're frustrated, and 15% say they're overwhelmed or burned out. (People were able to choose up to three answers.)
- The people who are most hopeful now are those 65 and older (64%), Democrats (59%), and people who have gotten the vaccine (61%).
"People are starting to see that maybe there's an end in sight, that there's something to look forward to finally," said Chris Jackson, senior vice president for Ipsos Public Affairs.
- That change in mood comes as the share of vaccinated Americans slowly rises. This week, 23% of respondents said they had gotten the vaccine — up from 19% last week, and a big jump from the 3% who said they had received the vaccine in our Jan. 11 poll, the first one with a measurable result.
- There has also been a small increase in the share of people who think they can get back to something resembling their normal, pre-COVID life in six months or less: 33% now, up from 26% in last week's poll.
- "I think there is this slight movement of people expecting it to be over sooner rather than later," Jackson said.
Of note: The poll found that Americans overwhelmingly want teachers to get vaccinated, with 75% saying it's very or somewhat important for teachers to receive both doses before coming back to school to teach kids in person.
- This is despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that says "Access to vaccination should not be considered a condition for reopening schools for in-person instruction" — a document that was released after some conflicting messaging by the Biden administration.
What to watch: People are still figuring out what's the best sign that the pandemic is ending and the restrictions can be lifted, but the biggest group — 27% — said it will be when 75% of Americans or more are vaccinated.
Methodology: This Axios/Ipsos Poll was conducted Feb. 26-March 1 by Ipsos' KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,088 general population adults age 18 or older.
- The margin of sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults.
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Sep. 29, 2020 11:47PM EST
Misinformation thrives on social media ahead of presidential debate
A baseless conspiracy theory that Joe Biden would wear an electronic device in his ear during the first presidential debate on Tuesday went viral on social media hours before the event.
Why it matters: The conspiracy originated on social media before appearing in a text message sent by President Trump’s re-election campaign to supporters. It was then regurgitated by media outlets like Fox News and New York Post, who cited the Trump campaign, throughout the day, according to NBC News.
- Kate Bedingfield, communications director for the Biden campaign, called the rumor “completely absurd” during a call with reporters on Tuesday.
How it worked: Baseless memes calling for a third party to inspect Biden's ears before the debate saturated Facebook Tuesday morning.
- One particular meme was simultaneously posted by multiple Facebook pages with names like “US Conservative” and “The Unhinged Left” and received thousands of shares, according to NBC.
- Fox News, New York Post and Breitbart then published stories claiming that the Trump campaign wants the Biden campaign to allow a third party to inspect the ears of each debater for ear pieces and that Biden had not yet agreed, citing the Trump campaign.
- The stories received tens of thousands of shares on Facebook and Twitter, despite being based on nothing more than anonymous accusations on social media and from the Trump campaign. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany shared the rumor on Twitter, receiving tens of thousands of interactions on her own page.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Ina Fried:It's just the latest example of how false information can easily gain traction on social media, spread unchecked, and eventually become a subject of discussion in both partisan and mainstream media.
The big picture: The earpiece conspiracy was not the only example of viral misinformation spreading ahead of the the debate. On Tuesday morning, "Fox and Friends" allowed Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, to repeat a baseless accusation that Biden is taking "performance enhancing drugs" to help his debate performance.
- Trump has repeated the accusation multiple times over the last month without offering proof. The president even suggested that both men be drug tested before the debate, an offer Biden’s campaign rejected.
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Dec. 10, 2024 10:12AM EST
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