This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
How Americans Feel About the Country Right Now: Anxious. Hopeful. ¶
June 27, 2020
Americans are feeling anxious, exhausted, and angry as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, but many remain optimistic about the future.
According to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College, nearly six months after the first case of coronavirus reached the United States, a majority of registered voters say they are anxious, exhausted, and angry. Yet even as they brace themselves for months of challenges from the virus, many remain optimistic about the country's future, viewing this moment of pandemic, economic devastation, and social unrest as an opportunity for progress.
Many voters are frustrated with the current state of the country, but hopeful about the long run. They believe that the country will come back when the current administration is gone. The shift in the national mood has been swift and striking, with only one-third of poll respondents giving the economy positive marks. The virus has become so far-reaching that nearly one in five say they know someone who has died of it, including one-third of African-Americans, who have been disproportionately affected by the virus.
Despite double-digit unemployment, majorities across demographic groups say the federal government's priority should be to contain the spread of the virus, even if it hurts the economy. Younger voters and black voters take the most stringent view of the social distancing rules, with more than four in 10 saying the guidance is being lifted too quickly. Only backers of President Trump overwhelmingly believe government should prioritize the economy.
More than three-quarters of registered voters say they always or mostly wear a mask in public when they expect to be within six feet of another person, including 60 percent who support President Trump and 79 percent of those under 30. Men are more likely to go barefaced, with only 46 percent saying they always wear a mask, compared with 61 percent of women.
As Americans mark days by death rates, protests, and waves of illness, the instability of the moment leaves open the possibility that public opinion could shift before Election Day. Already, sentiment splits sharply around partisan lines, with more than three-quarters of Biden supporters saying they feel 'angry' at the state of the country right now, compared to 47 percent of Mr. Trump backers.
