Three key stats on COVID (+PTON)
Hello from SurveyMonkey!
Welcome back to our research newsletter. This week, we’re sharing three big takeaways from our latest data on COVID, along with some exclusive bonus data on Peloton.
1. Americans have lost trust in the CDC, NIH, and WHO for their handling of COVID
Our latest blog post shares new findings on the massive decline in public trust some of the big national and international health organizations are experiencing thanks to the COVID pandemic. In March 2020, two-thirds of Americans or more said they trusted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the World Health Organization (WHO). In our latest survey, trust in all those institutions dropped by 16 to 22 percentage points.
That drop in trust is due almost entirely to declines among Republicans and independents; Democrats still by and large have a high degree of trust in the CDC, the NIH, and the WHO, along with their state/local health departments. Unsurprisingly, they are also more apt than Republicans to trust President Biden’s handling of COVID. Read the full blog for more details.
2. Most find the guidance from the CDC confusing
This increase in distrust comes amid stress and confusion for many seeking guidance from the CDC. About half (52%) say CDC guidelines regarding what vaccinated and unvaccinated people can safely do are ‘confusing and hard to follow.’
Republicans are more likely than Democrats and independents to find the guidance confusing; the unvaccinated are more likely than the vaccinated to find the guidance confusing; and people living in rural areas are more likely than people in suburban and urban areas to find the guidance confusing (see below).
3. Few in the U.S. are wearing the most protective masks
Surgical masks and cloth masks are the most popular choices for everyday mask-wearing in the U.S. these days, despite the most recent recommendations to wear N95 or KN95 masks. In our latest survey, fielded January 17-23, just 20% of people say they wear N95 or KN95 masks the most often.
4. BONUS exclusive data on Peloton!
The past few days have been tumultuous for the stock market, but Peloton may have had an especially bad week. In a quick-turn survey we fielded earlier this week, we found that 40% of investors say now is a bad time to buy Peloton stock, and just 9% say now is a good time to buy.
However, Peloton owners are still optimistic about the company’s chances and confident the product Peloton is offering is better than anything produced by its competitors. Among Peloton owners, 28% say now is a good time to buy the stock, and 48% say Peloton’s offerings are still better than its competitors.
Other Momentive data in the news:
Today we published a new study with CNBC and Acorns focusing on student loan forgiveness in the U.S. Read some of the coverage:
Majority of borrowers say taking on federal student loan debt is not worth it, CNBC survey finds
Most Americans want Biden to prioritize student loan forgiveness, CNBC survey says
CNBC survey: Student loan holders are more likely to be women and people of color
Or, listen to the Twitter Spaces discussion of the topic with CNBC journalists and other experts, including our Chief Research Officer, at the link below:
That’s all from us this week! Thank you for reading, and look for more research to drop into your inbox soon.
- Laura Wronski