John Della Volpe - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by John Della Volpe

2 Conceived by two Harvard undergraduate students during the winter of 1999, Harvard University&#... more 2 Conceived by two Harvard undergraduate students during the winter of 1999, Harvard University's Institute of Politics Survey of Young Americans' Attitudes toward Politics and Public Service began in 2000 as a national survey of 18-to 24-year old college undergraduates. Over the last 15 years, this research project has grown in scope and mission, as this report now includes an analysis of 18-to 29-year olds on a broad set of longitudinal and current events issues. The first survey of N=800 college undergraduates was completed in the Spring of 2000 and all interviews were conducted over the telephone; since that time, 24 subsequent surveys have been released. Over this period, a number of modifications have been made to the scope and methodology in order to ensure that sampling methods most accurately capture the view of the population of young adults in a manner that will be useful to both the Institute of Politics and the broader research and political communities. • In 20...

Scholars and public health officials have expressed growing alarm over what some have termed a “m... more Scholars and public health officials have expressed growing alarm over what some have termed a “misinfodemic” − a parallel epidemic of misinformation − around COVID-19. Indeed, conspiracy theories, from the Plandemic pseudo-documentary to QAnon, fuel rising skepticism about scientific facts across many areas of public life, and in recent months especially with respect to COVID-19. Misperceptions, which can rapidly spread from obscurity to mass exposure via social media, may have the capacity to hinder the efficacy of public health efforts aimed at slowing the spread of the pandemic. Especially concerning, encountering false claims online may ultimately reduce the willingness of some Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.In this report, we assess respondents’ acceptance of 11 false claims that have circulated online since the beginning of the pandemic. The statements we use include six false claims about conspiracies or risk factors and five false purported pr...

JAMA Network Open

IMPORTANCE Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination may contribute substantially to vaccine hesi... more IMPORTANCE Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination may contribute substantially to vaccine hesitancy and resistance. OBJECTIVE To determine if depressive symptoms are associated with greater likelihood of believing vaccine-related misinformation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This survey study analyzed responses from 2 waves of a 50-state nonprobability internet survey conducted between May and July 2021, in which depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9). Survey respondents were aged 18 and older. Population-reweighted multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between moderate or greater depressive symptoms and endorsement of at least 1 item of vaccine misinformation, adjusted for sociodemographic features. The association between depressive symptoms in May and June, and new support for misinformation in the following wave was also examined. EXPOSURES Depressive symptoms. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was endorsing any of 4 common vaccinerelated statements of misinformation. RESULTS Among 15 464 survey respondents (9834 [63.6%] women and 5630 [36.4%] men; 722 Asian respondents [4.7%], 1494 Black respondents [9.7%], 1015 Hispanic respondents [6.6%], and 11 863 White respondents [76.7%]; mean [SD] age, 47.9 [17.5] years), 4164 respondents (26.9%) identified moderate or greater depressive symptoms on the PHQ-9, and 2964 respondents (19.2%) endorsed at least 1 vaccine-related statement of misinformation. Presence of depression was associated with increased likelihood of endorsing misinformation (crude odds ratio [OR], 2.33; 95% CI, 2.09-2.61; adjusted OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.91-2.43). Respondents endorsing at least 1 misinformation item were significantly less likely to be vaccinated (crude OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.36-0.45; adjusted OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.40-0.51) and more likely to report vaccine resistance (crude OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 2.21-2.91; adjusted OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 2.89-3.13). Among 2809 respondents who answered a subsequent survey in July, presence of depression in the first survey was associated with greater likelihood of endorsing more misinformation compared with the prior survey (crude OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.42-2.75; adjusted OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.14-2.33). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This survey study found that individuals with moderate or greater depressive symptoms were more likely to endorse vaccine-related misinformation, crosssectionally and at a subsequent survey wave. While this study design cannot address causation, the (continued) Key Points Question Are major depressive symptoms associated with increased risk of believing common misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines among US adults? Findings In this survey study including 15 464 US adults, people with moderate or greater major depressive symptoms on an initial survey were more likely to endorse at least 1 of 4 false statements about COVID-19 vaccines on a subsequent survey, and those who endorsed these statements were half as likely to be vaccinated. Meaning These findings suggest another potential benefit of public health efforts to address depressive symptoms, namely reducing susceptibility to misinformation. Author affiliations and article information are listed at the end of this article.

JAMA Network Open, 2022

IMPORTANCE Both major depression and firearm ownership are associated with an increased risk for ... more IMPORTANCE Both major depression and firearm ownership are associated with an increased risk for death by suicide in the United States, but the extent of overlap among these major risk factors is not well characterized. OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of current and planned firearm ownership among individuals with depression. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional survey study using data pooled from 2 waves of a 50-state nonprobability internet survey conducted between May and July 7, 2021. Internet survey respondents were 18 years of age or older and were sampled from all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Self-reported firearm ownership; depressive symptoms as measured by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire. RESULTS Of 24 770 survey respondents (64.6% women and 35.4% men; 5.0% Asian, 10.8% Black, 7.5% Hispanic, and 74.0% White; mean [SD] age 45.8 [17.5]), 6929 (28.0%) reported moderate or greater depressive symptoms; this group had mean (SD) age of 38.18 (15.19) years, 4587 were female (66.2%), and 406 were Asian (5.9%), 725 were Black (10.5%), 652 were Hispanic (6.8%), and 4902 were White (70.7%). Of those with depression, 31.3% reported firearm ownership (n = 2167), of whom 35.9% (n = 777) reported purchasing a firearm within the past year. In regression models, the presence of moderate or greater depressive symptoms was not significantly associated with firearm ownership (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% CI, 0.98-1.17) but was associated with greater likelihood of a first-time firearm purchase during the COVID-19 pandemic (adjusted OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.56-2.02) and greater likelihood of considering a future firearm purchase (adjusted OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.23-1.90). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this study, current and planned firearm ownership was common among individuals with major depressive symptoms, suggesting a public health opportunity to address this conjunction of suicide risk factors.

In June and July 2020, we conducted two waves of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which ... more In June and July 2020, we conducted two waves of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which are presented here. You can find previous reports online at www.covidstates.org. Note on methods: In June and July 2020, we surveyed 37,325 individuals across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The two survey waves used in this report were conducted on 12-28 June and 10-26 July 2020 by PureSpectrum via an online, nonprobability sample, with state-level representative quotas for race/ethnicity, age, and gender (for methodological details on the other waves, see covidstates.org). In addition to balancing on these dimensions, we reweighted our data using demographic characteristics to match the U.S. population with respect to race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, and living in urban, suburban, or rural areas. This was part of a project including a series of large-scale surveys we have been conducting since April 2020, examining attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 in the United States.

From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of whic... more From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which are presented here. You can find previous reports online at www.covidstates.org. Note on methods: We surveyed 21,196 individuals across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The survey was conducted on 7-26 August 2020 by PureSpectrum via an online, nonprobability sample, with state-level representative quotas for race/ethnicity, age, and gender (for methodological details on the other waves, see covidstates.org). In addition to balancing on these dimensions, we reweighted our data using demographic characteristics to match the U.S. population with respect to race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, and living in urban, suburban, or rural areas. This was the ninth in a series of surveys we have been conducting since April 2020, examining attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 in the United States.

From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of whic... more From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which are presented here. You can find previous reports online at www.covidstates.org. Note on methods: We surveyed 21,196 individuals across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The survey was conducted on 7-26 August 2020 by PureSpectrum via an online, nonprobability sample, with state-level representative quotas for race/ethnicity, age, and gender (for methodological details on the other waves, see covidstates.org). In addition to balancing on these dimensions, we reweighted our data using demographic characteristics to match the U.S. population with respect to race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, and living in urban, suburban, or rural areas. This was the ninth in a series of surveys we have been conducting since April 2020, examining attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 in the United States.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-gpi-10.1177_1368430220985912 for The role of race, religion, and ... more Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-gpi-10.1177_1368430220985912 for The role of race, religion, and partisanship in misperceptions about COVID-19 by James N. Druckman, Katherine Ognyanova, Matthew A. Baum, David Lazer, Roy H. Perlis, John Della Volpe, Mauricio Santillana, Hanyu Chwe, Alexi Quintana and Matthew Simonson in Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2021

Concerns about misperceptions among the public are rampant. Yet, little work explores the correla... more Concerns about misperceptions among the public are rampant. Yet, little work explores the correlates of misperceptions in varying contexts – that is, how do factors such as group affiliations, media exposure, and lived experiences correlate with the number of misperceptions people hold? We address these questions by investigating misperceptions about COVID-19, focusing on the role of racial/ethnic, religious, and partisan groups. Using a large survey, we find the number of correct beliefs held by individuals far dwarfs the number of misperceptions. When it comes to misperceptions, we find that minorities, those with high levels of religiosity, and those with strong partisan identities – across parties – hold a substantially greater number of misperceptions than those with contrasting group affiliations. Moreover, we show other variables (e.g., social media usage, number of COVID-19 cases in one’s county) do not have such strong relationships with misperceptions, and the group-level ...

THE STATE OF THE NATION: A 50-STATE COVID-19 SURVEY Report #1 https://covidstates.org/ From: The ... more THE STATE OF THE NATION: A 50-STATE COVID-19 SURVEY Report #1 https://covidstates.org/ From: The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States From April 17 to 26 we conducted a large, 50 state survey, the results of which are presented in this report. The first section of the report looks at the nation as a whole while the second section focuses on individual states and comparisons across states.

The explosion of the oil rig Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico that caused the hugest oil ... more The explosion of the oil rig Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico that caused the hugest oil spill in U.S. history was one of the major topics on the news agenda in the summer 2010. It was driven by intense coverage in traditional media as well as excessive discussion in blogs and on social networking sites. The conversation volume during the whole period was affected by the public presence of two main actors, US President Barack Obama and BP-CEO Tony Hayward. A study on the coverage in traditional as well as social media for a four week period (May 31st to June 30th) aims at analyzing a complex interrelation in the agenda setting of both groups of media by discriminating the different actors in public sphere (political, corporate, NGO), their ways of appearance (on site visits in Louisiana, speeches, other public steps) and the respective media coverage. By a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the coverage by seven major traditional media (Ney York Times, Washington Post,...

An increasing number of school districts across the United States have announced that they will p... more An increasing number of school districts across the United States have announced that they will provide entirely remote learning when school resumes this fall. Others, like New York City, continue to consider alternatives, including hybrid models in which students attend school part-time. While many other countries have succeeded in reopening schools without a resurgence of cases (with some notable exceptions), they reopened in a very different context, with rates of infection in the community far lower than in many places in the United States. On the other hand, the federal government, and some state governments, continue to focus on the importance of reopening. Another complication is the role of teachers’ unions, who have expressed discomfort about their teachers’ safety and their ability to provide a safe environment for students. And among schools already reopening, some students have already tested positive for COVID-19.Parents of school-age children thus confront difficult de...

ImportanceCOVID-19 symptoms are increasingly recognized to persist among a subset of individual f... more ImportanceCOVID-19 symptoms are increasingly recognized to persist among a subset of individual following acute infection, but features associated with this persistence are not well-understood.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify individual features that predicted persistence of symptoms over at least 2 months at the time of survey completion.Design: Non-probability internet survey. Participants were asked to identify features of acute illness as well as persistence of symptoms at time of study completion. We used logistic regression models to examine association between sociodemographic and clinical features and persistence of symptoms at or beyond 2 months.SettingTen waves of a fifty-state survey between June 13, 2020 and January 13, 2021.Participants6,211 individuals who reported symptomatic COVID-19 illness confirmed by positive test or clinician diagnosis.Exposuresymptomatic COVID-19 illnessResultsAmong 6,211 survey respondents reporting COVID-19 illness, with a mean age of 37.8 (SD 1...

Importance: Some studies suggest that social media use is associated with risk for depression, pa... more Importance: Some studies suggest that social media use is associated with risk for depression, particularly among children and young adults. Objective: To characterize the association between self-reported use of individual social media platforms, and worsening of depressive symptoms, among adults. Design: We included data from 13 waves of a non-probability internet survey conducted between May 2020 and May 2021 among individuals age 18 and older in the United States. We applied logistic regression with 5 or more point increase in PHQ-9 as outcome, and sociodemographic features, baseline PHQ-9, and use of each social media platform as independent variables, without reweighting. Participants: Survey respondents 18 and older. Main Outcome and Measure: PHQ-9 worsening by 5 points or more. Results: A total of 5395/8045 (67.1%) individuals with a PHQ-9<5 on initial survey completed a second PHQ-9. These respondents had mean age 55.82 years (SD 15.17); 3546 (65.7%) reported female gend...

At least 5 companies have launched Phase III clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines, the final step... more At least 5 companies have launched Phase III clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines, the final step before seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to NIAID director Anthony Fauci, vaccines may be widely available in the U.S. by spring 2021 if these trials are successful.But should these vaccines become available, will Americans accept them? Between July 10 and July 26, we surveyed 19,058 adults in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. We asked about the likelihood that they would seek vaccination for themselves, and for their children. We also asked about the factors that would influence their decision making.We find that, overall, 66% of adults would be somewhat or extremely likely to vaccinate themselves; 66% would be somewhat or extremely likely to vaccinate their children. These rates vary markedly between states, as shown on the figure below.

Rapid turnaround of testing for COVID-19 infection is essential to containing the pandemic. Ideal... more Rapid turnaround of testing for COVID-19 infection is essential to containing the pandemic. Ideally, test results would be available the same day. Our findings indicate that the United States is not currently performing testing with nearly enough speed. In our large (19,058 respondents) national survey, conducted between July 10 and 26, we asked whether respondents had been tested for COVID-19 and how long they had waited to get results. Our finding: 37% of those who had been tested by nasal swab received results within 2 days, and the average wait time was 4.1 days; with 31% of tests taking more than 4 days, and 10% 10 days or more. Further, there are few signs that turnaround times are diminishing. For individuals who responded that their last test had been in April, they had waited on average 4.2 days to get results; and for individuals tested in July, 4.1 days.

The latest update to our executive approval series reveals a mix of continuity and change. The mo... more The latest update to our executive approval series reveals a mix of continuity and change. The most obvious difference in the circumstances confronting the nation’s executives in the latest wave (July 10-26, 2020, N=19,052) compared to the prior wave (June 12-28, 2020) is that far more states are seeing increases in COVID cases than in early June. For instance, in the Northeast in our late June wave, all but one state (New Jersey) were trending downward in COVID cases relative to our early June wave. In late July, all but two states in the region are trending upwards in COVID cases. (New Jersey, ironically, represents one of the two improving states, with the second being Maine). Despite these worsening trends, many governors in the Northeast (excepting Maine, where Democratic Governor Mill’s approval rating stands at a middling 54%) remain quite popular, and have seen their approval ratings remain relatively stable (e.g. Massachusetts and Vermont) or increase (e.g., Rhode Island an...

2 Conceived by two Harvard undergraduate students during the winter of 1999, Harvard University&#... more 2 Conceived by two Harvard undergraduate students during the winter of 1999, Harvard University's Institute of Politics Survey of Young Americans' Attitudes toward Politics and Public Service began in 2000 as a national survey of 18-to 24-year old college undergraduates. Over the last 15 years, this research project has grown in scope and mission, as this report now includes an analysis of 18-to 29-year olds on a broad set of longitudinal and current events issues. The first survey of N=800 college undergraduates was completed in the Spring of 2000 and all interviews were conducted over the telephone; since that time, 24 subsequent surveys have been released. Over this period, a number of modifications have been made to the scope and methodology in order to ensure that sampling methods most accurately capture the view of the population of young adults in a manner that will be useful to both the Institute of Politics and the broader research and political communities. • In 20...

Scholars and public health officials have expressed growing alarm over what some have termed a “m... more Scholars and public health officials have expressed growing alarm over what some have termed a “misinfodemic” − a parallel epidemic of misinformation − around COVID-19. Indeed, conspiracy theories, from the Plandemic pseudo-documentary to QAnon, fuel rising skepticism about scientific facts across many areas of public life, and in recent months especially with respect to COVID-19. Misperceptions, which can rapidly spread from obscurity to mass exposure via social media, may have the capacity to hinder the efficacy of public health efforts aimed at slowing the spread of the pandemic. Especially concerning, encountering false claims online may ultimately reduce the willingness of some Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.In this report, we assess respondents’ acceptance of 11 false claims that have circulated online since the beginning of the pandemic. The statements we use include six false claims about conspiracies or risk factors and five false purported pr...

JAMA Network Open

IMPORTANCE Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination may contribute substantially to vaccine hesi... more IMPORTANCE Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination may contribute substantially to vaccine hesitancy and resistance. OBJECTIVE To determine if depressive symptoms are associated with greater likelihood of believing vaccine-related misinformation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This survey study analyzed responses from 2 waves of a 50-state nonprobability internet survey conducted between May and July 2021, in which depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9). Survey respondents were aged 18 and older. Population-reweighted multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between moderate or greater depressive symptoms and endorsement of at least 1 item of vaccine misinformation, adjusted for sociodemographic features. The association between depressive symptoms in May and June, and new support for misinformation in the following wave was also examined. EXPOSURES Depressive symptoms. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was endorsing any of 4 common vaccinerelated statements of misinformation. RESULTS Among 15 464 survey respondents (9834 [63.6%] women and 5630 [36.4%] men; 722 Asian respondents [4.7%], 1494 Black respondents [9.7%], 1015 Hispanic respondents [6.6%], and 11 863 White respondents [76.7%]; mean [SD] age, 47.9 [17.5] years), 4164 respondents (26.9%) identified moderate or greater depressive symptoms on the PHQ-9, and 2964 respondents (19.2%) endorsed at least 1 vaccine-related statement of misinformation. Presence of depression was associated with increased likelihood of endorsing misinformation (crude odds ratio [OR], 2.33; 95% CI, 2.09-2.61; adjusted OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.91-2.43). Respondents endorsing at least 1 misinformation item were significantly less likely to be vaccinated (crude OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.36-0.45; adjusted OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.40-0.51) and more likely to report vaccine resistance (crude OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 2.21-2.91; adjusted OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 2.89-3.13). Among 2809 respondents who answered a subsequent survey in July, presence of depression in the first survey was associated with greater likelihood of endorsing more misinformation compared with the prior survey (crude OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.42-2.75; adjusted OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.14-2.33). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This survey study found that individuals with moderate or greater depressive symptoms were more likely to endorse vaccine-related misinformation, crosssectionally and at a subsequent survey wave. While this study design cannot address causation, the (continued) Key Points Question Are major depressive symptoms associated with increased risk of believing common misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines among US adults? Findings In this survey study including 15 464 US adults, people with moderate or greater major depressive symptoms on an initial survey were more likely to endorse at least 1 of 4 false statements about COVID-19 vaccines on a subsequent survey, and those who endorsed these statements were half as likely to be vaccinated. Meaning These findings suggest another potential benefit of public health efforts to address depressive symptoms, namely reducing susceptibility to misinformation. Author affiliations and article information are listed at the end of this article.

JAMA Network Open, 2022

IMPORTANCE Both major depression and firearm ownership are associated with an increased risk for ... more IMPORTANCE Both major depression and firearm ownership are associated with an increased risk for death by suicide in the United States, but the extent of overlap among these major risk factors is not well characterized. OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of current and planned firearm ownership among individuals with depression. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional survey study using data pooled from 2 waves of a 50-state nonprobability internet survey conducted between May and July 7, 2021. Internet survey respondents were 18 years of age or older and were sampled from all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Self-reported firearm ownership; depressive symptoms as measured by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire. RESULTS Of 24 770 survey respondents (64.6% women and 35.4% men; 5.0% Asian, 10.8% Black, 7.5% Hispanic, and 74.0% White; mean [SD] age 45.8 [17.5]), 6929 (28.0%) reported moderate or greater depressive symptoms; this group had mean (SD) age of 38.18 (15.19) years, 4587 were female (66.2%), and 406 were Asian (5.9%), 725 were Black (10.5%), 652 were Hispanic (6.8%), and 4902 were White (70.7%). Of those with depression, 31.3% reported firearm ownership (n = 2167), of whom 35.9% (n = 777) reported purchasing a firearm within the past year. In regression models, the presence of moderate or greater depressive symptoms was not significantly associated with firearm ownership (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% CI, 0.98-1.17) but was associated with greater likelihood of a first-time firearm purchase during the COVID-19 pandemic (adjusted OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.56-2.02) and greater likelihood of considering a future firearm purchase (adjusted OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.23-1.90). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this study, current and planned firearm ownership was common among individuals with major depressive symptoms, suggesting a public health opportunity to address this conjunction of suicide risk factors.

In June and July 2020, we conducted two waves of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which ... more In June and July 2020, we conducted two waves of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which are presented here. You can find previous reports online at www.covidstates.org. Note on methods: In June and July 2020, we surveyed 37,325 individuals across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The two survey waves used in this report were conducted on 12-28 June and 10-26 July 2020 by PureSpectrum via an online, nonprobability sample, with state-level representative quotas for race/ethnicity, age, and gender (for methodological details on the other waves, see covidstates.org). In addition to balancing on these dimensions, we reweighted our data using demographic characteristics to match the U.S. population with respect to race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, and living in urban, suburban, or rural areas. This was part of a project including a series of large-scale surveys we have been conducting since April 2020, examining attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 in the United States.

From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of whic... more From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which are presented here. You can find previous reports online at www.covidstates.org. Note on methods: We surveyed 21,196 individuals across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The survey was conducted on 7-26 August 2020 by PureSpectrum via an online, nonprobability sample, with state-level representative quotas for race/ethnicity, age, and gender (for methodological details on the other waves, see covidstates.org). In addition to balancing on these dimensions, we reweighted our data using demographic characteristics to match the U.S. population with respect to race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, and living in urban, suburban, or rural areas. This was the ninth in a series of surveys we have been conducting since April 2020, examining attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 in the United States.

From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of whic... more From August 7 to 26 we conducted the ninth wave of a large, 50-state survey, some results of which are presented here. You can find previous reports online at www.covidstates.org. Note on methods: We surveyed 21,196 individuals across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The survey was conducted on 7-26 August 2020 by PureSpectrum via an online, nonprobability sample, with state-level representative quotas for race/ethnicity, age, and gender (for methodological details on the other waves, see covidstates.org). In addition to balancing on these dimensions, we reweighted our data using demographic characteristics to match the U.S. population with respect to race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, and living in urban, suburban, or rural areas. This was the ninth in a series of surveys we have been conducting since April 2020, examining attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19 in the United States.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-gpi-10.1177_1368430220985912 for The role of race, religion, and ... more Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-gpi-10.1177_1368430220985912 for The role of race, religion, and partisanship in misperceptions about COVID-19 by James N. Druckman, Katherine Ognyanova, Matthew A. Baum, David Lazer, Roy H. Perlis, John Della Volpe, Mauricio Santillana, Hanyu Chwe, Alexi Quintana and Matthew Simonson in Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2021

Concerns about misperceptions among the public are rampant. Yet, little work explores the correla... more Concerns about misperceptions among the public are rampant. Yet, little work explores the correlates of misperceptions in varying contexts – that is, how do factors such as group affiliations, media exposure, and lived experiences correlate with the number of misperceptions people hold? We address these questions by investigating misperceptions about COVID-19, focusing on the role of racial/ethnic, religious, and partisan groups. Using a large survey, we find the number of correct beliefs held by individuals far dwarfs the number of misperceptions. When it comes to misperceptions, we find that minorities, those with high levels of religiosity, and those with strong partisan identities – across parties – hold a substantially greater number of misperceptions than those with contrasting group affiliations. Moreover, we show other variables (e.g., social media usage, number of COVID-19 cases in one’s county) do not have such strong relationships with misperceptions, and the group-level ...

THE STATE OF THE NATION: A 50-STATE COVID-19 SURVEY Report #1 https://covidstates.org/ From: The ... more THE STATE OF THE NATION: A 50-STATE COVID-19 SURVEY Report #1 https://covidstates.org/ From: The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States From April 17 to 26 we conducted a large, 50 state survey, the results of which are presented in this report. The first section of the report looks at the nation as a whole while the second section focuses on individual states and comparisons across states.

The explosion of the oil rig Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico that caused the hugest oil ... more The explosion of the oil rig Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico that caused the hugest oil spill in U.S. history was one of the major topics on the news agenda in the summer 2010. It was driven by intense coverage in traditional media as well as excessive discussion in blogs and on social networking sites. The conversation volume during the whole period was affected by the public presence of two main actors, US President Barack Obama and BP-CEO Tony Hayward. A study on the coverage in traditional as well as social media for a four week period (May 31st to June 30th) aims at analyzing a complex interrelation in the agenda setting of both groups of media by discriminating the different actors in public sphere (political, corporate, NGO), their ways of appearance (on site visits in Louisiana, speeches, other public steps) and the respective media coverage. By a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the coverage by seven major traditional media (Ney York Times, Washington Post,...

An increasing number of school districts across the United States have announced that they will p... more An increasing number of school districts across the United States have announced that they will provide entirely remote learning when school resumes this fall. Others, like New York City, continue to consider alternatives, including hybrid models in which students attend school part-time. While many other countries have succeeded in reopening schools without a resurgence of cases (with some notable exceptions), they reopened in a very different context, with rates of infection in the community far lower than in many places in the United States. On the other hand, the federal government, and some state governments, continue to focus on the importance of reopening. Another complication is the role of teachers’ unions, who have expressed discomfort about their teachers’ safety and their ability to provide a safe environment for students. And among schools already reopening, some students have already tested positive for COVID-19.Parents of school-age children thus confront difficult de...

ImportanceCOVID-19 symptoms are increasingly recognized to persist among a subset of individual f... more ImportanceCOVID-19 symptoms are increasingly recognized to persist among a subset of individual following acute infection, but features associated with this persistence are not well-understood.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify individual features that predicted persistence of symptoms over at least 2 months at the time of survey completion.Design: Non-probability internet survey. Participants were asked to identify features of acute illness as well as persistence of symptoms at time of study completion. We used logistic regression models to examine association between sociodemographic and clinical features and persistence of symptoms at or beyond 2 months.SettingTen waves of a fifty-state survey between June 13, 2020 and January 13, 2021.Participants6,211 individuals who reported symptomatic COVID-19 illness confirmed by positive test or clinician diagnosis.Exposuresymptomatic COVID-19 illnessResultsAmong 6,211 survey respondents reporting COVID-19 illness, with a mean age of 37.8 (SD 1...

Importance: Some studies suggest that social media use is associated with risk for depression, pa... more Importance: Some studies suggest that social media use is associated with risk for depression, particularly among children and young adults. Objective: To characterize the association between self-reported use of individual social media platforms, and worsening of depressive symptoms, among adults. Design: We included data from 13 waves of a non-probability internet survey conducted between May 2020 and May 2021 among individuals age 18 and older in the United States. We applied logistic regression with 5 or more point increase in PHQ-9 as outcome, and sociodemographic features, baseline PHQ-9, and use of each social media platform as independent variables, without reweighting. Participants: Survey respondents 18 and older. Main Outcome and Measure: PHQ-9 worsening by 5 points or more. Results: A total of 5395/8045 (67.1%) individuals with a PHQ-9<5 on initial survey completed a second PHQ-9. These respondents had mean age 55.82 years (SD 15.17); 3546 (65.7%) reported female gend...

At least 5 companies have launched Phase III clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines, the final step... more At least 5 companies have launched Phase III clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines, the final step before seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to NIAID director Anthony Fauci, vaccines may be widely available in the U.S. by spring 2021 if these trials are successful.But should these vaccines become available, will Americans accept them? Between July 10 and July 26, we surveyed 19,058 adults in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. We asked about the likelihood that they would seek vaccination for themselves, and for their children. We also asked about the factors that would influence their decision making.We find that, overall, 66% of adults would be somewhat or extremely likely to vaccinate themselves; 66% would be somewhat or extremely likely to vaccinate their children. These rates vary markedly between states, as shown on the figure below.

Rapid turnaround of testing for COVID-19 infection is essential to containing the pandemic. Ideal... more Rapid turnaround of testing for COVID-19 infection is essential to containing the pandemic. Ideally, test results would be available the same day. Our findings indicate that the United States is not currently performing testing with nearly enough speed. In our large (19,058 respondents) national survey, conducted between July 10 and 26, we asked whether respondents had been tested for COVID-19 and how long they had waited to get results. Our finding: 37% of those who had been tested by nasal swab received results within 2 days, and the average wait time was 4.1 days; with 31% of tests taking more than 4 days, and 10% 10 days or more. Further, there are few signs that turnaround times are diminishing. For individuals who responded that their last test had been in April, they had waited on average 4.2 days to get results; and for individuals tested in July, 4.1 days.

The latest update to our executive approval series reveals a mix of continuity and change. The mo... more The latest update to our executive approval series reveals a mix of continuity and change. The most obvious difference in the circumstances confronting the nation’s executives in the latest wave (July 10-26, 2020, N=19,052) compared to the prior wave (June 12-28, 2020) is that far more states are seeing increases in COVID cases than in early June. For instance, in the Northeast in our late June wave, all but one state (New Jersey) were trending downward in COVID cases relative to our early June wave. In late July, all but two states in the region are trending upwards in COVID cases. (New Jersey, ironically, represents one of the two improving states, with the second being Maine). Despite these worsening trends, many governors in the Northeast (excepting Maine, where Democratic Governor Mill’s approval rating stands at a middling 54%) remain quite popular, and have seen their approval ratings remain relatively stable (e.g. Massachusetts and Vermont) or increase (e.g., Rhode Island an...