Poll: Over One-Third Believe Media Exaggerated Threat of the Coronavirus

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Over one-third of Americans believe the media exaggerated the threat of the Chinese coronavirus, although 50 percent approve of the media’s overall coverage, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday found.

Rasmussen Reports conducted the survey December 28-29, among 1,000 American adults, asking them to rate the media’s overall coverage of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

Fifty percent rated the coverage “excellent” or “good” — 23 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Another 29 percent rated the coverage “poor,” while 18 percent chose “fair.”

When asked if the media have exaggerated the threat of the virus, a slight majority, or 52 percent, said no. However, a sizable portion, 38 percent, expressed the belief that the media have been exaggerating the threat, while ten percent indicated that they remain unsure:

Overall, a vast majority of Americans, 91 percent, said they have been following news reports of the virus “very” or “somewhat” closely.

The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3 percent.

The poll comes as states continue in their respective efforts to distribute the limited supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, prioritizing more vulnerable populations as well as the frontline healthcare workers. Over 12,400,000 vaccines have been distributed nationwide, with nearly 2.8 million people receiving the first dose, according to a Wednesday update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The U.S. has reported 19,432,125 cumulative cases of the virus, with 337,419 related deaths, according to the CDC.

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