Seniors overwhelmingly support stay-at-home orders and other COVID-19 mitigation efforts, according to a new national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Investigators questioned U.S. adults about their opinions, behaviors and beliefs surrounding COVID-19 public health measures from May 5 to 12. Widespread support (80%) was found for stay-at-home orders and nonessential business closures. Most respondents also indicated that they were adhering to guidelines meant to reduce transmission, such as self-isolating.
Further analysis showed a strong association between older age and feeling unsafe without these community strategies. About 74% of respondents reported that they would feel unsafe if restrictions were lifted at the time of the survey. But older adults were much less likely to say they’d feel safe if restrictions were lifted when compared to younger adults (19% versus 43%).
Seniors and retired people were also more likely to report that they wore cloth face masks when in public areas, that they maintained six feet of physical distance between themselves and others, and that they avoided gatherings of 10 or more persons than did other study cohorts.
The age-related findings may reflect seniors’ perceived risk for infection and severe disease, the researchers wrote.
As of May 16, Americans aged 65 years and older accounted for about 80% of reported COVID-19–associated deaths. That’s compared with those aged 15 to 24 years, who accounted for 0.1% of such deaths, according to the researchers.
Full findings were published on the CDC’s website.
