Majority of Americans Say They Are Still Worried About Coronavirus Exposure

A majority of Americans say they still worry that they or someone in their family will be exposed to the coronavirus, according to a new Gallup poll.

Sixty-six percent of respondents said they are worried about exposure to the novel virus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19. Among that group, 29 percent said they were "very worried" and 37 percent said "somewhat worried."

In comparison, the poll found that 33 percent of respondents said they were not worried about being exposed to the virus, with 19 percent saying they are "not too worried" and 14 percent saying "not worried at all." The poll surveyed 1,034 U.S. adults from May 28 to June 4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll also found that Democrats expressed a much higher level of concern, compared with Republicans. According to the poll, 85 percent of Democrats said they were worried about exposure to the virus, with 42 percent saying "very worried" and 43 percent saying "somewhat worried." Fifteen percent of Democrats said they weren't worried about exposure.

On the other hand, 52 percent of Republicans said they were not worried, with 29 percent saying "not too worried" and 23 percent saying they were not worried at all. Forty-seven percent of Republicans said they were worried about being exposed to the virus.

Across different ethnic backgrounds, the poll found that Hispanic Americans were the most worried about virus exposure. Fifty percent said "very worried," while 37 percent of black Americans and 25 percent of white Americans said the same.

Despite the poll's findings, states across the country continue to move forward with their phased reopening plans. New York City, which at one point had more coronavirus cases than any other part of the country, will enter Phase 2 of its plan on June 22.

On the other hand, some states, such as Florida, have seen an increase in cases over the past few weeks, forcing a number of businesses to close down for a second time within a week of reopening. Other states, like Texas, Arizona and California, have also seen surges in cases over the past few days.

A separate poll, conducted by Axios/Ipsos, found similar results, with 81 percent of Americans saying they were concerned about a second wave of virus cases. This poll surveyed 1,022 U.S. adults from June 12 to 15. Among that 81 percent, 30 percent said they were "extremely concerned," 26 percent said "very concerned," and 24 percent said "somewhat concerned."

The virus outbreak continues to spread across the U.S., with over 2.1 million cases in the country and at least 117,423 deaths.

Newsweek reached out to the federal Department of Health and Human Services for comment on the Gallup poll's findings but did not hear back before publication.