COVID-19 Resilience Poll

Description of the COVID-19 Resilience Poll, an ongoing poll that tracks the experiences, perceptions, and concerns of people in the Capital region.

I have been participating in polls conducted by the Institute for Social Research at Sacramento State University since shortly after I retired.  When approached, I was inspired to sign up and participate because of my connection with Sac State through the Sacramento Renaissance Society.

See related blog post:  Sacramento Renaissance Society

The topics of the polls have been varied.  For example, the most recent poll, a project of Valley Vision and CapRadio, is the COVID-19 Resilience Poll.

SacramentoRevealed.com – All Things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)

The COVID-19 pandemic has been our reality now for over a year.  For example, this past Friday was the one-year anniversary of Governor Newsom’s stay-at-home directive.

On the upside – vaccinations are ramping up in California and across the nation.  Additionally, last week Sacramento County joined the ranks of “red tier” counties which allows some easing of restrictions.

Having recently completed the third poll in the COVID-19 Resilience series, I thought I would share the poll results to date (Poll #1 and #2).

The first poll was conducted in May, 2020.  Thus, it covers what Capital region residents felt and thought during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.  After that, the second poll took place in September, 2020.

The demographically representative poll included residents of eight counties – Sacramento, Yolo, El Dorado, Placer, Yuba, Sutter, Solano and San Joaquin.  Note:  The margin of error is +/- three percent.

Highlights of May 2020 COVID-19 Resilience Poll

• COVID-19 has severely impacted people in the Capital Region. Impacts include mental, physical and emotional health, daily life and routines; and, economic security.
• There are deep disparities of the intensity of concern and impact across different populations. Black and Hispanic respondents feel the impacts more severely.
• Almost half of the respondents have lost income. About a third are struggling to afford basic needs including rent or mortgage, bills, and paying down debt.
• Many respondents are working remotely as a result of COVID-19. However, those with higher incomes were more likely to go remote and/or were more likely to having already been working remotely.
• Many respondents were critical of leadership. The criticism ranges from leadership failing to deliver an effective response to the response is overblown and creating more harm.
• Most significant worries included continued illness, spread of the disease and the impact on the economy.

  Highlights of September 2020 COVID-19 Resilience Poll

• Levels of concern continue to reflect disparities. Black, Hispanic, those in lower income brackets, and younger respondents reported higher levels of concern.
• Up to 63% reported feeling depressed at least once in the previous seven days. 82% reported feeling anxious at least once during the previous seven days.
• 17% reported that they are currently unemployed. Only 8% reported being unemployed in January.
• Almost 40% of women having children doing schooling remotely describe it as “very” challenging, compared to 13% of men.
• Of those with children, 48-57% think that schools at all levels should open in-person. Only 26-28% of those without children share that view.
• Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support a return to in-person schooling – as usual or with minor adjustments.

To Sum Up

I found it very informative to review the 2020 poll results.  See:  COVID-19 Resilience Poll #1 and COVID-19 Resilience Poll #2.

As I read the poll results I once again reflected on how grateful I am to be retired and at the stage of life where I am no longer dependent on a paycheck.

See related blog posts: Masks Made in Sacramento and  COVID-19 & Climate Change v. the Economy and  2020 in Sacramento – Year in Review

Lastly, I see the poll results as a call to action.  If you are able – consider donating to one or more of the many worthy non-profits in the Sacramento Region working to help members of our community in need.

Comments on COVID-19 Resilience Polls #1 and #2?

Did any of the poll results surprise you?

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