Americans have little trust in the information they are hearing from President Trump about the novel c****av***s, and their confidence in the federal government's response to it is declining sharply, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
Just 46% of Americans now say the federal government is doing enough to prevent the spread of the c****av***s, down from 61% in February.
Just 37% of Americans now say they had a good amount or a great deal of trust in what they're hearing from the president, while 60% say they had not very much or no trust at all in what he's saying.
The president rates worst of all groups tested, be it public health officials, state and local leaders or the news media. And more Americans disapprove of the president's handling of the p******c than approve by a 49%-44% margin. But that does not differ greatly from his overall job approval rating, which stands at 43%.
That's largely unchanged from the last survey in February, and 51% still said they approve of the president's handling of the economy, despite the massive slides in the stock market of late related to the c****av***s.
Poll: As C****av***s Spreads, Fewer Americans See P******c As A Real Threat
THE C****AV***S CRISIS
Poll: As C****av***s Spreads, Fewer Americans See P******c As A Real Threat
Trump: C****av***s Guidance Includes Avoiding Gatherings Of More Than 10 People
THE C****AV***S CRISIS
Trump: C****av***s Guidance Includes Avoiding Gatherings Of More Than 10 People
Public health officials got the highest level of trust at 84%, followed by those state and local leaders (72%). Americans were split 50% to 47% on whether they can trust information coming from the news media or not.
A sharp partisan divide on the president and news media
Just 8% of Democrats and 34% of independents said they trust the information coming from the president. But three-quarters of Republicans said they do.
When it comes to the news media, two-thirds of Democrats trust the information they hear coming from them; independents were split; and Republicans overwhelmingly said they do not trust what they're hearing from the media.
Having significant chunks of the country either not believing their president (who controls the federal government's response), the press (which is a gatekeeper for information), or both, could be dangerous in a p******c.
Republicans think c****av***s is blown out of proportion
Trump initially underplayed the threat of the novel c****av***s, and that appears to have affected how seriously some Americans, particularly Republicans, are taking the threat of the highly contagious v***s.
Just 40% of Republicans now say it is a real threat, down from 72% in February. A majority of Republicans (54%) said they think it has been blown out of proportion, more than double what it was in February (23%).
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https://www.npr.org/2020/03/17/816680033/poll-americans-dont-trust-what-they-re-hearing-from-trump-on-c****av***s?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20200321&utm_term=4472727&utm_campaign=politics&utm_id=50468319&orgid=346