eMarketer presents shows that attitudes toward coronavirus vary among age groups.<\/p>\n
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Article<\/a>\u00a0by<\/strong> Mark Dolliver\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n New polls on consumer responses to the coronavirus pandemic reveal that when it comes to fear, finances and boredom, generational stereotypes may not hold true.<\/p>\n Amplified by social media and other online platforms, some anecdotal narratives have suggested that millennials are relatively unconcerned about COVID-19\u2014while others have depicted older people as the ones who are least worried.<\/p>\n But various rapid-response polls conducted over the past several weeks show a more intricate patchwork of anxiety across age groups\u2014whether it\u2019s fear of being infected by the virus, fear of taking a severe financial hit, or simply fear of inactivity during a period of widespread lockdowns.<\/p>\n For instance, an\u00a0ABC News\/Ipsos poll<\/a>\u00a0of 512 US adults, fielded on March 18 and 19, found people across age groups saying they were worried about getting the coronavirus. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 83% said they were worried about this, as did 75% of 30-to-49s, 79% of 50-to-64s and 82% of those 65 and older.<\/p>\n There was a similar pattern in\u00a0polling from The Economist\/YouGov<\/a>\u00a0(fielded March 15 to 17) in the proportion of US adults saying they were at least somewhat worried about getting the virus\u201455% of 18-to-29s, 62% of 30-to-44s, 56% of 45-to-64s and 52% of those 65 and older.<\/p>\n When it comes to the pandemic’s effects on financial health, surveys found sharper variations among age groups, with concerns skewing younger. In an\u00a0Elon University survey<\/a>\u00a0conducted on March 16 and 17, 80% of 25-to-44s said they were worried about their \u201cpersonal financial situation,\u201d vs. 78% of 18-to-24s, 74% of 45-to-64s and 62% of those 65 and older.<\/p>\n A\u00a0survey from personal finance app Tally<\/a>, conducted from March 11 to 13 by The Harris Poll, found 59% of millennials saying they had taken or planned to take steps to preserve cash due to the pandemic\u2019s effects on the economy. The figures were markedly smaller among Gen Zers (44%), Gen Xers (47%) and boomers (35%).<\/p>\n That dovetails with\u00a0Pew Research Center data<\/a>\u00a0from March 10 to 16, when employed US adults were asked whether they could keep up with basic expenses if the pandemic put them out of work for at least two weeks. Forty-two percent of 18-to-29s said it \u201cwould be difficult\u201d to do so, vs. 32% of 30-to-49s, 32% of 50-to-64s and 19% of those 65 and older.<\/p>\n With the economy at large just beginning to feel the impacts of the pandemic, there is less variation by age in the proportion of people saying they\u2019ve already been financially affected. In The Economist\/YouGov polling, 25% of 18-to-29s reported being \u201cfinancially affected by the coronavirus,\u201d along with 24% of 30-to-44s, 28% of 45-to-64s and 21% of those over 65.<\/p>\n Additionally, people are feeling anxious about being stuck in their homes for an indefinite period. Some are turning to streaming services to help stave off boredom and inactivity while social lives are on hold. A\u00a0Morning Consult survey<\/a>\u00a0of US adults fielded from March 13 to 16 shows young people are especially inclined to stream content while staying home. In this survey, 26% of millennials said they expected to spend more money on streaming movie\/TV services due to the pandemic, vs. 16% of Gen Xers and 15% of boomers. And 18% of millennials said they expect to spend more on music streaming services, vs. 10% of Gen Xers and 5% of boomers.<\/p>\n