Coronavirus Survey Results: Will Take Vaccine, CDC Takes Trust Hit

October 4, 2020 — Thanks to the more than 500 generous people who cared enough to spend a few minutes filling our Coronavirus Activity Survey. As we hoped, the results were extremely interesting. Most were predictable, but it is reassuring to see most Topretirements Members are taking the pandemic seriously. The hundreds of personal comments written in to several of the questions make one thing very clear – the coronavirus pandemic has been one of the most momentous events in all of our lifelines, changing daily life now, and in some ways for the rest of our lives.

Some main points:

Topretirements Members are more likely to take a vaccine than the general population (71% vs. 50%).

The CDC has taken a big reputational hit, with far more trusting Dr. Fauci.

Mask compliance is high.

About half of respondents will go to a barbershop or salon.

Car travel is viewed as far safer than flying

People are split about eating in restaurants and visiting friends.

Almost all of the survey responses were given before the President and some in his inner circle tested positive. Our hope is that people will take precautions even more seriously after seeing how communicable the virus is. Note that Topretirements Members and visitors are almost all aged 55+.

Here are the results of the survey:

Q1 Would you take a coronavirus vaccine if the CDC said it was safe and effective?

More than two thirds (71%) of those taking the survey said they would take the vaccine. This contrasts with a recent CNN poll, which showed that 51% of Americans would try to get the vaccine. In the CNN poll 60% of those over 65 said they would take it.

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Yes
No

[jcol/]
71%
29%

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197 Comments: More than two thirds of respondents said they will take a vaccine, but cautiously. There is a great deal of distrust of CDC as being politicized. Many would like to give a vaccine time to prove itself. Below are links to all 197 Comments on this question (Mac and Xcl versions).

Typical comment: “Maybe. I wanna vaccine but I want to be sure that it is safe. It depends when the vaccine comes out. If it comes out before election day I will not take it because I think it would be a political vaccine. “

Q2. Who do you believe more about vaccine effectiveness and safety?

Dr. Fauci is clearly much more trusted than any other source. Unfortunately, the results indicate that the CDC has been greatly wounded by its apparent politicization and missteps. Almost no one trusts the President on this issue.

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Dr.Fauci
CDC
Other
Pres. Trump

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54%
25%
16%
5%

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97 comments for Other: In comments, most people said they would put the most trust in their own doctor, manufacturers, themselves, or independent scientists or media.

Q3: Do you plan on making a trip more than 500 miles in next 6 months?

About half of the people surveyed are willing to take a trip of 500 miles or more.

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Yes
No
Maybe

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45%
36%
19%

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[/jcolumns]

Q4: What do you think is the safest way to travel in next 6 months?

Survey respondents overwhelmingly believe cars are the safest way to travel these days, but some will use an airplane if they are going a long distance.

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Car
Not safe
Other option
Plane
Train or bus

[jcol/]
76%
11%
7%
6%
0%
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[/jcolumns]

38 Comments: Many commenters mentioned one option we did not list, RVs, as a good way to travel. Cars were viewed as safe, and planes only out of necessity or for long distances.

Q5: Would you take a cruise in next 6 months?

Just about no one is ready to take a cruise in the short term.

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Yes
No
Maybe

[jcol/]
5%
91%
4%

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[/jcolumns]

Q6: Would you eat in a restaurant in next 6 months?

There is a mix of responses to this question. Almost half are willing to eat inside a restaurant, while just under one third would eat outside.

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Yes
Only outdoors
No

[jcol/]
45%
29%
26%

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[/jcolumns]

Q7: Have you or do you plan on going to a hairdresser or barber in the next 6 months?

People are more willing to get a haircut or go to a salon than any other activity in the survey. Judging from the comments, many people are taking a do it yourself approach to the problem.

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Yes
No
Maybe
Other option

[jcol/]
63%
21%
9%
8%

[jcol/]
[/jcolumns]

40 Other Comments: Instead of going to a shop, many commenters said they were doing this themself, or a spouse or family member is cutting their hair. Some are going to a trusted salon, or using a barber/hairdresser who comes to the house. If they do go, it is to a shop where everyone wears masks. Didn’t like to have to go, but felt like they had to.

Best face on it comment: “I am a man and am bald”

Q8: Do you wear a mask when you are around non-family members?

In the aftermath of the President catching Covid, we were pleased to see a high level of mask compliance among people taking this survey.

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All of the time
Most of the time
Some of the time
No

[jcol/]
49%
29%
17%
4%

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[/jcolumns]

91 Other Comments: Mostly the commenters said they wear masks when around other people or in social settings, but not always if outside and socially distanced. Some people wear masks around non-family members all the time, even adding goggles and faceshield. There are those who might not wear a mask if within their pod or with a trusted friend. Some people don’t like them or have something like COPD which makes them difficult to wear. Many are happy with requirements to wear them, a tiny group feels they infringe their liberty.

Favorite comment: “Remember, it really isn’t so much a mask as an IQ test”

Q9: As the weather grows colder in much of the U.S. and Canada, will you be willing to entertain a few friends or visit their home in the next 6 months?

There is a wide variety of responses to this question. Like many other areas of Covid safety, behaviors might be evolving.

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Inside
No
Yes if we are outside
Other option

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31%
28%
24%
16%

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81 Other Comments: There were a lot of maybes to this question. Other comments: Depends on who people are and how much I trust them, if socially distanced, only a small group, more likely to visit outside. Yes if we wear masks. Comments from Florida people who say it is only now getting cool enough to go outside!

Representative comment: “Perhaps with another couple, but only if positivity rate in testing is at Fauci’s ‘safe’ level. You just don’t know where people have been or who they’ve been with.”

Q10: Would you care to comment about what the best thing and the worst thing about the coronavirus has been for you?

366 Comments! Slightly more people listed Worsts than Bests. Below is a count of comments grouped by key words. Loss of contact with friends, family, and neighbors were at the top of people’s worsts, along with lost travel and missing family events. In the Best category were having more time for reading, cooking, writing, and projects. Seeing the better part of human nature was also appreciated. More than a few cited the President’s handling of the pandemic as a Worst, with a small minority saying he is a victim of China and the media, and a few mentioned conspiracy theories.

This is the count of keywords for various categories of responses:
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Family
Home/house
Isolation/lonely
Friends

Travel
Time
Drs/med
Pets

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163
96
81
80

68
70
34
20

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You can download all 363 interesting comments Here: (Mac and Xcl versions)

Representative Best and Worst things mentioned about the coronavirus pandemic:

-I have met neighbors that I ordinarily would not have met.

-I started a vegetable garden for the first
time ever.

-Being stuck in the house in the winter. And having to order expensive Instacart because I refused to go to the grocery store last winter. Our budget really took a hit with that.

-There is no BEST thing about a pandemic!

-We’d seen the next year as our “transition year” into retirement, or partial retirement, for my husband, but the travel and entertainment
we’d planned just aren’t feasible, and we’re not sure how to “pivot” into something different.

-Finding new ways to reach out and help others, feeling creativity blooming with fewer daily interactions–the absence of lots of medical appointments, for example. And, somewhat humorously, learning how much we talk to complete strangers in our isolation–I know more things about the private
lives of tech support people, for instance, than I ever thought I would.

-Realizing that even introvert, solitude-lovers like myself reach a point of needing physical connections, hugs–and we yearn it when we can’t get it.

-The worst thing was that it brought out the worst in people, not only with the quarantine, but how strongly people feel about masks, reopening etc. It brought additional conflict to our country.

-The best was it reminded us of the importance of physical touch and personal interaction, as well as an appreciation for those who were essential, whatever their role.

More Survey Results:

• 2020 Retirement Living Preferences Survey
• Retirement Happiness Levels High
• When It Comes to Retirement, Climate and Weather Are Top Reasons
• Survey Results Show High Levels of Financial Confidence
• Retirement Preparation Quiz: Results
• Topretirements Members Report High Degrees of Spousal Compatibility
• Our Members Getting Ready for Big Retirement Moves- 2013
• Medicare Survey – 2012
• Best and Worst Things About Your Retirement
• Your Bucket Lists Are Amazing
• Top Concerns about Retirement
• Plans for Retirement
• Florida Top Choice for Snowbirds, But Many Migration Paths Lead to Happiness
• Survey Results: Many People Expecting a Healthy Retirement Income
• Good News: Topretirements Members Very Confident About Retirement
• Many Members Plan on Retiring Out of State: Climate Big Reason

More comments? Feel free to add additional thoughts about your coronavirus activities, along with the best and worst, below.