Most Americans say the people of China are not to blame for the spread of COVID-19, but many believe China’s government owes reparations to those harmed by the virus, according to a new national survey by Boston University researchers.
Researchers collected data from 2,049 respondents interviewed between April 24 and May 7, 2020, in a nationally representative sample based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, and education.
By a two-to-one margin, Americans hold the Chinese people blameless for the pandemic (49 percent vs. 22 percent), according to the survey, which was directed by James Katz, a BU College of Communication professor of emerging media. But the same survey found more than a third of Americans believe China could have prevented the spread of the virus and owes payment reparations to those harmed (33 percent vs. 30 percent).
Read the results in The Brink.
Download a summary (.pdf).
