New research by the US-based think tank Pew Research Center found that at least 44 percent of American adults have made the coronavirus outbreak their primary subject of discussion, whether it be in-person or through social networking sites.
The survey, initiated between April 20th through the 26th, asked respondents how often they discussed the recent coronavirus outbreak either in-person, by phone, or online.
In the findings, the Pew Research team indicated that 31 percent of respondents made the outbreak their primary subject of discussion the majority of the time, while 13 percent said the pandemic was a part of their conversations with others almost all the time.
As part of a more vast number of respondents, about 45 percent discussed the coronavirus outbreak on an occasional basis with others. 11 percent, however, say they almost never or entirely never brought the topic up in a discussion.
Interestingly, the findings also detailed the more modest demographic differences among the respondents.
According to the Pew Research team, women were slightly more prevalent at discussing the outbreak with others. With regards to race, people of color were more chatty of the pandemic, more so than Hispanic or White respondents.
The survey also determined that higher educational attainment, people in early-adulthood, and supporters of the Democratic party, were associated with a higher frequency of coronavirus-based discussions.
“Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are 11 percentage points more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners (50% vs. 39%) to talk about the outbreak most or almost all of the time,” the Pew Research team found. “Republicans, in turn, are more likely than Democrats to say they talk about it sometimes (49% say this, vs. 41% of Democrats).”
