Poll: As Coronavirus Spreads, Fewer Americans See Pandemic As A Real Threat
NPRPoll: As Coronavirus Spreads, Fewer Americans See Pandemic As A Real Threat Enlarge this image toggle caption Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images In the face of the coronavirus worsening across the U.S. and reordering the daily life of millions of Americans, fewer people view the pandemic as a real threat, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. Just about 56% of Americans consider the coronavirus a "real threat," representing a drop of 10 percentage points from last month. Sponsor Message "Since the pandemic has taken root and grown in the United States, Democrats and Republicans are now poles apart," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute of Public Opinion. For instance, 72% of Republicans saw the coronavirus as a real threat in early February, but that figure has now plummeted to 40% of Republicans now believing the deadly virus is a serious menace.