Table 1.
Characteristics of participants aged ≥18 in 4 surveys used to assess the salience of social distancing messages during the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina, April 9–May 7, 2020 a
| Characteristic | Survey 1 (n = 267) | Survey 2 (n = 250) | Survey 3 (n = 200) | Survey 4 (n = 200) | North Carolina population, % b |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) [range], y | 41 (12.8) [19-72] | 37 (12.9) [18-71] | 37 (12.5) [18-69] | 37 (13.0) [18-72] | — |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 118 (44.4) | 108 (43.2) | 92 (46.0) | 93 (46.5) | 48.7 |
| Female | 145 (54.5) | 142 (56.8) | 107 (53.5) | 107 (53.5) | 51.3 |
| Other | 3 (1.1) | 0 | 1 (0.5) | 0 | |
| Race c | |||||
| White | 217 (81.3) | 199 (79.6) | 150 (75.0) | 151 (75.5) | 70.9 |
| Black or African American | 38 (14.2) | 31 (12.4) | 29 (14.5) | 31 (15.5) | 23.0 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 6 (2.2) | 5 (2.0) | 9 (4.5) | 8 (4.0) | 2.0 |
| Asian | 12 (4.5) | 18 (7.2) | 16 (8.0) | 14 (7.0) | 3.5 |
| Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 2 (0.8) | 1 (0.5) | 2 (1.0) | 0.2 |
| Other | 1 (0.4) | 3 (1.2) | 2 (1.0) | 3 (1.5) | 3.4 |
| Ethnicity d | |||||
| Hispanic/Latino | 9 (3.4) | 13 (5.2) | 14 (7.0) | 12 (6.0) | 9.4 |
| Not Hispanic/Latino | 257 (96.3) | 237 (94.8) | 184 (92.0) | 187 (93.5) | 90.6 |
| Education | |||||
| <High school graduate | 1 (0.4) | 2 (0.8) | 2 (1.0) | 0 | — |
| High school graduate/GED | 35 (13.1) | 15 (6.0) | 14 (7.0) | 20 (10.0) | — |
| Some college or technical school | 48 (18.0) | 54 (21.6) | 35 (17.5) | 35 (17.5) | — |
| Associate’s degree | 34 (12.7) | 37 (14.8) | 31 (15.5) | 27 (13.5) | — |
| Bachelor’s degree | 111 (41.6) | 103 (41.2) | 84 (42.0) | 88 (44.0) | — |
| Graduate or professional degree | 38 (14.2) | 39 (15.6) | 34 (17.0) | 30 (15.0) | — |
| Political identity e | |||||
| Democrat/lean Democrat | 129 (48.3) | 127 (50.8) | 100 (50.0) | 90 (45.0) | — |
| Independent/no lean | 51 (19.1) | 58 (23.2) | 41 (20.5) | 43 (21.5) | — |
| Republican/lean Republican | 87 (32.6) | 65 (26.0) | 59 (29.5) | 67 (33.5) | — |
| Rurality | |||||
| Urban | 64 (24.0) | 59 (23.6) | 47 (23.6) | 53 (36.5) | — |
| Suburban | 123 (46.1) | 119 (47.6) | 103 (51.8) | 99 (49.5) | — |
| Rural | 80 (30.0) | 72 (28.8) | 49 (24.6) | 48 (24.0) | — |
Abbreviation: GED, general education development.
aMissing data for several questions explain the difference between the number of responses for each variable and the total number of respondents for each survey. All values are number (percentage) unless otherwise indicated.
bNorth Carolina population information is from the American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2019. 22
cRace alone or in combination with ≥1 other race.
dOf any race.
eDemocrat/lean Democrat includes: Democrat, strongly; Democrat, not so strongly; Independent, but lean toward Democrat. No lean includes: Independent. Republican/lean Republican includes: Independent, but lean toward Republican; Republican, not so strongly; Republican, strongly.