A new poll suggests Americans want to continue social distancing measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, despite retail sales plunging far lower than initially predicted.

In the Politico/Morning Consultant poll released on Wednesday, 81 per cent of Americans said the country should "continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus." These respondents were willing to take these measures even if "it means continued damage to the economy."

This compared to the 10 per cent of Americans who thought President Donald Trump should halt social distancing measures to restart the economy "even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus."

Nine per cent of respondents had no opinion on the matter.

Mr Trump in recent weeks has expressed his drive to open up the country with a "big bang" so people could go back to work. But this has been met with criticism from health officials who warned bringing people back to work too early could cause a resurgence of the novel virus.

Top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci previously told the Associated Press he recommended opening up the US on a "rolling" basis.

The new poll comes as it was revealed the severe toll the coronavirus pandemic has had on the retail industry during the month of March.

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Retail sales plunged 8.7 per cent compared to February, according to data released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday. This was the biggest decline for the industry since the government started tracking sales in 1992. Economists initially predicted retail sales would fall about 8 per cent, according to a Reuters survey.

The retail industry has been hit hard as its been deemed a nonessential business during the pandemic. Within the retail sector, clothing and accessories stores saw the largest decline in sales with a drop of 50 per cent.

In comparison, sales food, alcohol, medication, and cleaning supplies has starkly increased with Americans stocking up on the necessary items from online retailers like Amazon.