June 5 (UPI) — African-Americans have been following news reports and other information about the coronavirus outbreak closer than any other racial or ethnic group, a new survey by the Pew Research Center said Friday.
Blacks, who have disproportionately been affected by COVID-19 around the country, are discussing it more frequently than whites and Latinos and following information about the virus more.
In a survey of U.S. adults taken April 20-26 before the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, 26 percent of African-Americans said they talked about the coronavirus pandemic “almost all the time” and another 27 percent said they talked about it “most of the time.”
Only 10 percent of whites said they talked about it “almost all of the time” and 32 percent said they did “most of the time.” Nineteen percent of Latinos said they talked about the pandemic “almost all of the time” and 27 percent said they did “most of the time.”
In revealing what news they are closely following about the coronavirus, 55 percent of blacks said they care closely following the “health impact on people like me.” Forty-three percent of Latinos said they are following such information closely and 36 percent of whites said they did.
Forty-nine percent of African-Americans said they are following news about the number of deaths closely, 47 percent said they are following the ability of hospitals to treat patients closely and another 46 percent said they follow advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health organizations closely.
Thirty-two percent of Latinos and 31 percent of whites said they follow information about the hospitals’ ability to treat patients closely, and 43 percent of Latinos and 34 percent of white said they follow coronavirus death news closely. Forty-three percent of Latinos ad 39 percent of whites said they follow advice from the CDC and other health organizations closely.
