New Poll: 63 Percent of Republicans Think Coronavirus is Exaggerated, More Than Triple the Number of Democrats

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The share of Americans who believe the threat of Covid-19 has been exaggerated is growing, even as more of them tune out from news about the virus, according to new survey data from Pew Research Center.

The survey, released on Monday, showed Republicans becoming most skeptical of the virus, with 63 percent saying in early June the “outbreak has been exaggerated” compared to 47 percent who said the same in April. The number of Democrats who said it was exaggerated increased from 14 percent in April to 18 percent in June, and from 29 percent to 38 percent among all U.S. adults.

The divergent numbers may stem, in part, from where respondents have looked for news. Of those who said they relied on President Donald Trump or the White House Coronavirus Task Force for information about the virus, 68 percent said it had been exaggerated, compared to just 33 percent of those who relied on any other source for news.

At the same time, the number of Americans who said they were following news about the virus “very closely” declined from a high of 57 percent in April to 39 percent in June, the lowest figure since Pew began asking the question in March. The numbers coincide with 38 percent of adults who said they find it harder than in past months “to identify what is true and what is false” about the virus, compared to 30 percent who find it easier.

The survey also comes amid an explosion of new cases in dozens of states. As of June 30, the U.S. had experienced 2.7 million confirmed cases of the virus and 129,091 deaths related to it, a fatality rate just short of 5 percent.

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