Shock Poll: Majority of Republicans Undercount Coronavirus Death Toll by Tens of Thousands

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A solid majority of Republicans undercount the current U.S. death toll from COVID-19 by tens of thousands of lives, according to a new poll.

According to an Economist/YouGov poll released Thursday, the overwhelming majority of Americans — 65 percent — placed the expected U.S. death toll from the coronavirus for the entire year in the same range as the official confirmed death count, or higher.

Respondents were asked “How many Americans, in total, do you think will have died this year due to complications from COVID-19?”

Despite the fact that the confirmed death toll was at around 195,000 when the poll was taken, 18 percent of respondents placed the eventual death toll for the year at “Fewer than 100,000
Americans,” while another 17 percent responded “100,000-150,000 Americans” — also below the current confirmed death toll.

But among Republicans, a combined 54 percent placed the eventual death toll in those ranges, and the same was true of respondents who intend to vote for President Donald Trump in November. These were the only subgroups to achieve such a majority on this question.

Perhaps even more shocking is the number of respondents who apparently believe that the death toll will not rise above the current official for the remaining three months of the year.

A combined 54 percent of all respondents say the eventual death toll will be 200,000 or fewer souls lost to covid. Among Republicans, a combined 79 percent predict a death toll at or below the current 200,000.

The reality is that while the confirmed death toll is likely to surpass 200,000 this weekend, a key model used by the White House coronavirus task force projects that 410,000 people will have died by the end of the year, and that even with universal masking, the total number of dead will exceed 288,000.

But the chances that universal mask-wearing will be adopted anytime soon don’t look good.