Americans Overwhelmingly Want CDC and Not Trump or Congress to Lead Covid-19 Response, Yale Study Finds

By Kam Kompani,

April 14, 2020

Researchers from Yale University surveyed over 700 Americans about the Covid-19 outbreak. Theyasked respondents a half-dozen questions, including who they think should lead the response, and whether they supported social isolation policies.

The survey, which was completed in February but only published in mid-April after undergoing the peer-review process, showed that almost 70% of respondents want the CDC (53%) or NIH (16%) director to lead the country’s Covid-19 response. Only 13% of participants want President Trump to lead the response, while just 1% picked Congress.

When it comes to obtaining the right information, respondents indicated that they trust health care professionals the most, and then the CDC. Social media and friends/family are the two least trusted sources of information, with both TV and print scoring higher.

Despite not being overly fearful of the coronavirus (respondents gave the virus a 5 out of 10 on average on the survey’s risk perception scale), most participants correctly identified the infection prevention measures recommended by the CDC.

Respondents also expressed their support for most of the more stringent measures adopted across the U.S. and worldwide to combat the spread of the virus. Around 80% of participants endorsed quarantine measures and travel restriction policies.

Given the overwhelming amount of trust Americans have in the CDC compared to other government entities, the researchers suggested that “the public health/scientific leadership should be at the forefront of the Covid-19 response to promote trust.”



83% of the survey’s respondents support quarantine measures. (Image by Markus Distelrath from Pixabay)

Adding that: “Strategic messaging by the CDC and the NIH through television, print, and internet has strong potential to alleviate unnecessary fear among the US population.”

About Study Sample

The study’s sample consisted of 718 adults — and was representative of the U.S. population in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity, and education.

Americans Fear Restrictions on Public Activity Will be Lifted too Quickly

Despite numerous protests taking place in the U.S. over the weekend, over 65% of Americans “say their greatest concern is that state governments will lift restrictions on public activity too quickly”, according to a new Pew Research Centre survey, while 32% think it won’t happen soon enough.

As expected, opinions are divided along party lines. Most democrats worry that state governments will lift restrictions too early, while republicans are split down the middle, with 45% fearing that “restrictions on public movement will not be lifted soon enough”.



Toilet paper sales in the U.S. rose by around 60% in March compared to the same month last year, according to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data.

More concerning for President Trump is that “nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) say Trump was too slow to take major steps to address the threat to the United States when cases of the disease were first reported in other countries.”

It is not all bad for Donal Trump, however. Despite being heavily criticised for being initially too slow to react, around half of Americans believe he is doing a good job addressing the financial difficulties of businesses, as well as that of Americans who have lost their jobs or income.

If the election was held today, 47% of registered voters say they would vote for Joe Biden, while 45% would support Trump.



Study: McFadden et al (2020). “Perceptions of the adult US population regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak“. Plos One.

