Financial Well-Being and Work

Every state has some sort of shelter-in-place order.

Do we support such restrictions?

In March, Americans were more worried about the disruptions caused by COVID-19 than about catching the virus. Since then, worry about the virus has increased substantially.

At the same time, worry about disruptions has declined somewhat.

There is broad support for keeping businesses closed, with 75 percent agreeing we should force non-essential businesses to close. This support has increased over time.

There is also broad support for quarantine and shelter-in-place orders, with support increasing over time.

Americans are also increasingly supportive of severe restrictions, such as criminal penalties for individuals who violate quarantine.

Recent high-profile declarations from policy leaders suggest Americans are willing to die for the economy.

Is that true?

There is little evidence that Americans are willing to sacrifice themselves or others for economic recovery.

The majority of Americans (nearly 75%) disagree that they are willing to get sick, even if it means keeping their job.

The majority of Americans (64%) are not willing to let others get sick in order to keep the economy strong.

Americans are strongly opposed to sacrificing older Americans for the sake of economic recovery.

Over the last month, there has been an increase in the number of people who support policies that force non-essential businesses to close.

Overall, there is little evidence that Americans are willing to sacrifice themselves or others for economic recovery.