One In Four Young People Think You're Underestimating The Coronavirus's Risks

People around the world are taking precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19, the infection caused by the novel coronavirus. Some young folks are making TikToks to blow off steam and inform people about the spread, and others are learning about how to alter to a digital-first school experience. Although most young folks are staying informed in one way or another, according to a Yahoo! News/YouGov poll conducted between March 10 and 11.


According to the poll, 31 percent of respondents aged 18-29 mentioned they have been following news about the coronavirus “very closely,” while 48 percent are after the news “somewhat closely,” and only 5 percent mentioned they were not after the news at all. As a result, 39 percent of respondents from the same age order mentioned they were “somewhat worried” about the spread of the virus, while 20 percent mentioned they were “very worried.”


By contrast, 30 percent mentioned they were “not very worried” and 11 percent mentioned they were “not worried at all” — which might explain the move by some people to continue to go out to bars and brunch between March 13 and March 15. (They won’t have the ability to do so anymore in several states, as governors have systematically closed most bars and restaurants to anything behind takeout and delivery services.) A separate poll by The Economist/YouGov noticed that a combined 61 percent of people aged 18-29 were “somewhat concerned” or “very concerned” about the virus.


It’s critical that young people take the threat of COVID-19 seriously, because they are just as likely as anyone else to carry the coronavirus, and then some are just as susceptible as their older counterparts to contracting moderate or severe cases of COVID-19. A 2013 report found that 9.53 million young Residents of the United States have a chronic illness of some kind, and roughly 70,000 young people are diagnosed with cancer per year. This is by no means the quota to who might be affected — while data about the coronavirus and COVID-19 are still in their infancy, we do know from countries that have been able to test residents that young people can and will test positive for the virus even if they don’t present symptoms.


“The virus isn't a mathematical formula,” Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s State of the Union, per Politico. “There are going to be people who are young who are going to wind up getting seriously ill.” He stressed the contagion effect of the virus, which has droplet vector properties that adds to its ability to spread quickly.


While 39 percent of respondents to YouGov’s poll mentioned they considered most Residents of the
U.S. Are “overreacting to the particular risks” of the coronavirus, a plurality believe Residents of the United States are either “behaving appropriately” (24 percent) or are even “underestimating the risks” (25 percent). Some of these precautions include closing schools, which 57 percent of respondents aged 18-29 approve of — despite the risks for susceptible students, like those who are first-generation or are experiencing homelessness. A majority of young people approve of the decision by major sports agencies to call off their games and seasons (58 percent), and 71 percent think that affected workers should receive paid sick leave.


And young folks are stepping up as soon as it comes to their personalized response to pandemic: most of them (52 percent) of respondents mentioned they were washing their hands more frequently, while 24 percent mentioned they had stopped shaking hands altogether and 28 percent have mentioned they bought hand sanitizer as a result of the virus’s spread. While 34 percent of young people mentioned they have begun to avoid public places, that number is only likely to increase right now that several states have made extreme mandates to motivate social distancing and slow viral spread.


Meanwhile, 19 percent of young people mentioned they have stockpiled food and other supplies, more than any other age categorize. However that might have more to do with culinary skills — and a lack of pantry space, given that most rent apartments — than any propensity toward avocado toast: According to one study, only 31 percent of respondents aged 18-29 feel confident in kitchen. And even in the event you do wish to use your time at residence to brush up on a couple of recipes, you shouldn’t feel a need to avoid restaurants altogether: Sorting delivery — and tipping generously, in case you could! — Is relatively safe, and cooperates with the keep local agencies afloat, especially while foot traffic is down.