A majority of Americans think that coronavirus is a "real threat" (66 percent), while about a third (27 percent) think the threat is "blown out of proportion," according to a survey conducted by PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist.
The new strain of coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19, has sickened 60,363 people worldwide and resulted in 1,370 deaths, as of Feb. 13. There have been 14 cases of the virus in the U.S.
The survey polled 808 U.S. adults between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
Four findings:
1. Americans are familiar with the coronavirus outbreak — only 4 percent of those polled had not heard about the new virus.
2. Among adults who saw coronavirus as a real threat, responses varied by age. Around 57 percent of Americans younger than 45 years saw the virus as an important risk, compared to 72 percent of those 45 years and older.
3. Fifty-six percent of respondents were concerned about the spread of the illness in the U.S., but 55 percent said they were not worried about it spreading in their specific communities.
4. More than half of the respondents (61 percent) said they think the U.S. government is doing enough to prevent the spread of COVD-19, but 26 percent think the government is not doing enough.