The American Voices Project is a nationwide study of how people are doing during these difficult times. It’s a first-of-its-kind study that relies on in-depth immersive interviews delivered to representative samples across the United States. We’ve talked to people about their health, emotional well-being, relationships, jobs, politics, and much more. The latest American Voices Project report examines the health consequences of the pandemic.
Key findings:
- The physical and mental health strains of the crisis have disrupted nearly everyone’s lives in often unanticipated ways.
- Most respondents expressed frustration with the lackadaisical precautions being taken by others; very few expressed skepticism about masks and related measures.
- The pandemic exacerbates existing difficulties regarding healthcare access.
- The financial stress and social isolation of the pandemic provoked psychological distress for many participants, and was especially hard for those with prior mental health challenges.
- In the face of mental health challenges, respondents have shown tremendous resilience, drawing on collective and individual coping strategies to ward off negative mental health consequences. But the coping strategies they described may not be sustainable over the long haul and in the face of structural failures.