Perspectives of US Youth During Initial Month of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Eric Waselewski; Marika Waselewski; Chloe Harper; Sarah Dickey; Sue Anne Bell; Tammy Chang

doi:10.1370/afm.2642

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Table 1

Demographic Characteristics of Respondents on Either March 6, 2020 or March 20, 2020 (N = 1,087)

Characteristic	All Respondents
Age, mean (SD), y	18.9 (2.8)
Sex, No. (%)
Male	429 (39.5)
Female	561 (51.6)
Other sex	97 (8.9)
Race/Ethnicity, No. (%)
Non-Hispanic White	605 (55.8)
Non-Hispanic Black	99 (9.1)
Hispanic	143 (13.2)
Non-Hispanic other	238 (21.9)
Education level, No. (%)
Less than high school^{^a}	392 (36.1)
High school grad	172 (15.8)
Some college or tech school	311 (28.6)
Associate’s or tech grad	37 (3.4)
Bachelor’s degree or higher	175 (16.1)
Region, No. (%)
Midwest	393 (36.2)
Northeast	169 (15.5)
South	300 (27.6)
West	225 (20.7)
HS free or reduced lunch, No. (%)
Yes	404 (37.5)
No	672 (62.5)

HS = high school; SD = standard deviation
↵^aIncludes participants still in high school.

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Table 2

Youth Knowledge of COVlD-19 and Sources of Information on March 6, 2020 (N = 1,043)

Question, Theme^{^a}	No. (%)	Example Quote
What do you know about coronavirus or COVID-19? Where did you hear that? Types of information known
COVID-19 knowledge	732 (70.2)
Disease characteristics	407 (55.6)	“It has about a 2% fatality rate thus far.…” “It’s a virus. Its symptoms are fever, cough, and chest issues.”
Contagiousness	365 (49.9)	“…it’s spreading rapidly…” “…it is very contagious and spread through droplets in the air.”
Origin or disease location	316 (43.2)	“It is in the United States and originated in China.”
Susceptibility characteristics	166 (22.7)	“it mostly seems to kill the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions.” “I know fatality is low for my age.”
No COVID-19 knowledge	44 (4.2)	“I don’t know anything.”
Perception of COVID-19
Severe or deadly	222 (21.3)	“I know that people are dying.…”
Not severe	134 (12.8)	“The infection rates are low, and fatality rates are even lower.”
Source of information
News	480 (46.0)	“The news is everywhere.” “…news outlets such as CNN Fox News CBS.…”
Social media	177 (17.0)	“…Twitter, Reddit, CNN” “Heard about it on Instagram first.…”
Friends and family	124 (11.9)	“…hearing from family and friends.” “I know a lot about it as my mom has been non-stop feeding me information.”
Government or academia	89 (8.5)	“I read every article from the CDC, the WHO, and stats.com.” “I’ve kept up-to-date on COVID-19 through the legitimate sources we should be trusting, the CDC and WHO.”
School	88 (8.4)	“…I heard that from a teacher at school.” “…a lot of school emails”

CBS = Columbia Broadcasting System; CDC = Centers for Disease Control; CNN = Cable News Network; COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; WHO = World Health Organization.
↵^aTotals may not add to 100% because codes are not mutually exclusive.

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Table 3

Shift in Youth Perspectives of COV1D-19 Impact, Worry, and Preparation Measures During March 2020

Question, Theme^{^a}	March 6 No.₁ (%)	March 20 No.₂ (%)	Example Quotes
How has the current coronavirus situation impacted you, if at all? (n₁ = 1,009; n₂ = 989)
Impact experienced	626 (62.0)	940 (95.0)
School and work impacts	109 (17.4)	599 (63.7)	“I had to leave my university and come home. I also am now unable to go to either of my jobs so I have no way of making money.”
Self-isolating	8 (1.3)	385 (41.0)	“I haven’t left the house in a week I’m starting to lose track of the days.”
Cancellations	37 (5.9)	109 (11.6)	“…prom’s cancelled, tennis season probably won’t happen.” “All my plans around my life have been canceled”
Anxiety or fear	170 (27.2)	98 (10.4)	“It has caused anxiety and fear. I don’t want to get sick and I especially don’t want my older family members to get it.”
No impact	383 (38.0)	49 (5.0)	“It really hasn’t affected me.”
Are you worried about coronavirus? Why or why not? (n₁ = 1,005; n₂ = 975)
Yes	251 (25.0)	494 (50.7)
Somewhat	237 (23.6)	247 (25.3)
No	517 (51.4)	234 (24.0)
Reasons worried
Fear for others	129 (26.4)	248 (33.5)	“Not so much for my own health but for my parents and grandparents.”
Higher-risk individuals	107 (21.9)	156 (21.1)	“Yes of course, I’m worried about my parents, my family would are [sic] health care providers, for homeless individuals, for the elderly population, everyone who could die from this.”
Spreading	100 (20.5)	137 (18.5)	“I’m worried that I’ll spread it.” “…with the quick spread of this disease, it’s hard not to be worried.”
Dangerous/deadly	52 (10.7)	113 (15.2)	“Yes, because hospitalization, death, and health care cost.” “Yes, its’ a pandemic and should be treated as such.”
Wages/economic	20 (4.1)	98 (13.2)	“I think it’s impact on the economy will be felt for years to come.…” “…I’m worried about the economic ramifications/being able to afford rent in coming months.”
Life impacts	22 (4.5)	97 (13.1)	“Yes, because it’s affecting my daily life.” “Yes, because it is slowly stopping and shutting down the world around us.”
Fear for self	66 (13.5)	90 (12.1)	“I am high-risk patient due to asthma.…” “Heck yeah. I don’t wanna die.”
Poor management	44 (9.0)	88 (11.9)	“…I’m worried it’s not being taken seriously by younger people.” “Yes, our president so far is taking the coronavirus as a joke.”
Reasons not worried
Young & healthy	207 (27.5)	86 (17.9)	“No, because I’m healthy and would be able to fight off a virus easily.” “Nope because it doesn’t affect my age group.”
Practicing prevention	96 (12.7)	70 (14.6)	“No, I feel like I’ve taken the necessary precautions.” “No, because I clean, keep my distance, and wash my hands as a normal routine, something everyone should do.”
Mild disease	178 (23.6)	44 (9.1)	“Statistically more people die from the flu so not necessarily.” “No, it’s such a low death rate.…”
Overhyped	74 (9.8)	27 (5.6)	“No…to me the situation is a sham.” “No, people are freaking out and it does not matter.”
Are you doing anything to prepare for coronavirus? If so, what? (n₁ = 1,000; n₂ = 942)
Social distancing	47 (4.7)	472 (50.1)	“…staying away from public events and places.” “Yes, we are doing social distancing to protect people who may be vulnerable.”
Stocking up	175 (17.5)	364 (38.6)	“I am getting all my medications filled and trying to get perishable food just in case there is a country lockdown.” “We have food and supplies loaded up for 2 weeks at the home.”
Increased hygiene	297 (29.7)	165 (17.5)	“Washing hands, sanitizing, cleaning my house frequently.…” “…increased hand washing, avoiding touching my face.”
Nothing	357 (35.7)	137 (14.5)	“I’m not doing anything to prepare.”
Normal hygiene	174 (17.4)	69 (7.3)	“Hand hygiene as per usual.” “I’m just taking regular health precautions.”