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Lane County asked 600 people what they thought about COVID-19. Here's what they found

In September, six months into the pandemic, Lane County Public Health officials wanted to get a better sense of how residents were impacted by the virus as well as their attitudes and beliefs toward it.

"The whole purpose of this was to help inform our decision-making process to see who might need resources, energy, etcetera," Jessica Seifert, an epidemiologist with public health, said.

The county contracted Patinkin Research Strategies to conduct a phone survey of 600 Lane County residents from Sept. 30 through Oct. 4. As with any study, it's subject to limitations -- voter registry was used to create the sampling frame, so results reflect a sample of what registered voters, 70% of adults in the county, think. White residents were over-represented, accounting for 93% of survey respondents but 89% of the population, as were people who reside in the Springfield-Eugene area, making up 73% of the sample but 61.7% of the county.

Some of the survey's main findings were that nearly 80% of residents reported that the pandemic has impacted their day-to-day routine; 75% of county residents believed COVID-19 to be a serious public health threat; and 68% were concerned about contracting the virus.

"Seventy-five percent of people taking this (pandemic) seriously, it feels like a win," Seifert, the project's research methodology expert, said. "But it also feels like we've got a lot of work to do with that other 25% to relay that this is serious, and hopefully to relay that this is serious before more people die -- because the reality is, people are dying in our community."

The survey also sought to understand if residents believe recommended COVID-19 protective behaviors are effective. It found that 86% of respondents believe wearing a face covering when in public is effective, 83% believe in limiting the size of social gatherings and 74% believe in maintaining a 6-foot buffer from others.

When asked how frequently they participated in these COVID-19 protective behaviors, 84% of respondents reported wearing a cloth face covering when in public, 76% reported avoiding groups of 10 or more people and 75% reported maintaining a 6-foot buffer from others always or often.

While a majority of respondents embracing face coverings is good news for health officials, Seifert cautioned that mask-wearing is only one of many precautions needed.

"Our job now is to say, 'Keep up the good work, please keep wearing a mask, but also remember it's part of a larger strategy to help prevent the spread,'" Seifert said.

The survey also asked residents how they felt about local COVID-19 prevention strategies and information sources.

The survey broke down public approval of non-essential business closures into categories: 60% approved of closing bars and restaurants, 61% gyms and movie theaters, and 58% standalone retail shops. Sixty-four percent approved of having children learn remotely.

More: What does the COVID-19 ‘freeze’ mean for Lane County?

"It's a slim majority," Seifert said. "But it's still a majority of folks that believe non-essential business closures and having children learn remotely still are effective strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19."

While 46% of Lane County residents believed the current strategies in place are the right balance, 27% believe they are not restrictive enough.

When asked if they trust information coming from public health officials, respondents were fairly divided -- 64% of respondents said they trust public health recommendations from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director, 63% reported trusting Lane County Public Health, 62% reported trusting the Oregon Health Authority and 62% reported trusting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly a third of Lane County residents trusted public health recommendations from Dr. Patrick Luedtke, Lane County’s health officer, but 41% were not familiar with him. Additionally, a third of respondents reported not trusting LCPH.

"All public health comes down to building relationships," Seifert said. "We really want to work on building trust in the community and making sure that people feel comfortable receiving information from us."

Building trust has been a heightened challenge for health officials in a polarized community, torn down political lines over what kind of threat the pandemic poses and who to trust.

The survey was conducted seven weeks ago. While the pandemic can seem to drag on, changes happen fast. Since the time the survey was conducted, local daily case numbers have nearly doubled.

As the impacts the virus has in Lane County changes, local opinion will likely change as well.

"So this survey is essentially a single data point in time," Seifert said. "While it is still recent, time has passed. And we also know that people, thoughts and concerns can also shift."

Contact reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick at Tatiana@registerguard.com or 541-338-2454, and follow her on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Lane County asked 600 people what they thought about COVID-19. Here's what they found

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