US Millennials remain unconcerned about COVID and highly untrustworthy of the government.
The indications are clear, however, the dominant generation of our time seems to be ignoring this situation completely, even when industries are crashing and normal activities like weddings are being cancelled despite reservations and investments.
The latest Forbes Under 30 Voter Survey, Powered by John Zogby Strategies, finds that onslaught of criticism that millennials receive toward their behavior amid this global health crisis is well placed, as less than 50% of polled Millennials think that COVID19 a genuine health threat.
What’s worse, the generation is matching actions with attitudes, because when asked if they have adjusted their routines over the last week, as the outbreak continues and thrives, roughly a quarter of young people have not let the virus dampen their social lives —despite urgent warnings to stay home. The Forbes survey studying social habits found that while 43% of people reported that they have gone on fewer dates, because of COVID-19, than the previous week, an astounding 38% said they are dating the same as usual. And 12% said that they are dating more often. Those numbers are roughly the same when it comes to gathering with friends and dining out in restaurants.
A Harris poll on 2,000 adults published March 13 found 77% of adults over 65 and 67% of millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) said they’re “unlikely” to catch the virus, which has infected at least 189,000 people around the globe. The Harris Poll survey also sheds light on the overall sentiment of Americans when it comes to COVID-19. While 61% feel “the media” is overhyping the outbreak, 71% said they’re concerned with the government’s ability to effectively respond and 58% think politicians are downplaying the risk.
Politics
When considering the election arena and managing the the coronavirus threat, young Americans trust Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden over President Trump. Nearly 50% of those polled would prefer Biden to lead the fight against the pandemic versus 36% who felt better with Trump in the White House, however, they really don’t show much faith in either politician in dealing with the crisis. Of those polled, 18% considered Trump highly trustworthy in dealing with COVID-19, while just 16% found Biden highly credible on the issue.
Business leaders
Millennials have little-to-no trust in Corporate America.
Among the surveyed millennials, only 12% said to believe that CEOs could capably control the virus, while another 20% of young Americans considered U.S. CEOs to be highly untrustworthy in handling COVID-19. Public health organizations fared much better as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had the confidence of nearly 70% of the respondents, while the World Health Organization had the support of 75%.
