The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown American life into chaos and, over the last eight weeks, Consumer Brands’ weekly coronavirus survey has proven that this new normal is anything but. Now, as some states extend stay-at-home orders and others begin to reopen for business, this week’s survey — and the last eight weeks of consumer concerns — show that we may be at a turning point for how Americans feel about coronavirus and its effect on their lives.

1. Consumer
Brands
Association
CORONAVIRUS WEEKLY
SURVEY RESULTS:
WEEKS 1-8

2. AMERICA IS FOREVER
CHANGED
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown American life into chaos. Over the
last eight weeks, Consumer Brands’ coronavirus survey has proven that
this new normal is anything but.
The portrait of how perception has changed over the last eight weeks shows that we may be at a turning
point for how Americans feel about coronavirus and its affect on their lives. As moderate concern reached a
peak two weeks ago, it has since started to decline and has largely stabilized. Whether that is due to our
adaptive abilities or a feeling that hope is on the horizon remains to be seen.
In this week’s results we look, for the first time, at the ways who we are affects how we feel about
coronavirus. And the most predictive factor of how we feel isn’t where we live, our employment status or
even our generation — it’s our political leaning.

3. 37% 36%
49%
54%
61%
63%
58% 59%
39% 38% 37%
34%
32%
28%
33% 33%
18%
20%
10% 9%
6% 5% 6% 6%6% 7% 4% 3%
2% 4% 3% 3%
MARCH 4TH MARCH 11TH MARCH 18TH MARCH 25TH APRIL 1ST APRIL 8TH APRIL 15TH APRIL 22ND
Very Concerned Somewhat Concerned Not Very Concerned Not At All Concerned
General concern may be at a plateau
After rising steadily for six weeks, concern dipped and has stabilized. While there is still significant concern
about coronavirus and its impact on American life, the most extreme levels of concern have started to shift.
The shift follows a period of slightly more positive news and discussions of, not if, but when and how to
reopen the country.
2%

4. 50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
March 11th March 18th March 25th April 1st April 8th April 15th April 22nd
CONCERNED ABOUT ACCESS
Household Cleaning Personal Care
Food and Beverage Over-the-Counter Medicines
Access fears continue to
decline
For the first time, concerns over access
to every CPG category did not go up.
Food and beverage access concerns,
which was the top category of concern
for several weeks, dropped again to 61
percent — 16 points lower than the peak
on March 18. The drop in concern
reflects the supply chain working out
many of the early kinks and stores
restocking many items that were wiped
out in March.
Even concerns over access to household
cleaning products, which had steadily
crept up, began to ease, dropping from
74 percent last week to 70 percent this
week. While that’s still a strong majority,
it is the first decline seen yet.

5. 17%
18%
18%
19%
38%
37%
41%
40%
44%
45%
41%
41%
APRIL 1ST APRIL 8TH APRIL 15TH APRIL 22ND
PERCEIVED AVAILABILITY OF
HIGH-DEMAND PRODUCTS
Yes, a lot more Yes, on some items No, not yet
Americans are stocked at
home and noticing more
stock in stores
The vast majority (91%) of Americans are
stocked for one week or longer with essential
products. Of that group, 44 percent are
stocked for two weeks or longer.
In stores, Americans are also noticing more
high-demand products on the shelves.
Consistently over the last four weeks of
asking the question, a majority of Americans
have reported seeing at least some high-
demand items back in stock.

6. Trust in the industry is up, as it
continues to deliver for Americans who
depend on it more than ever
The pandemic has changed the view of the CPG industry for many
Americans. While the majority (55%) said their trust in the industry
hadn’t changed during the weeks of coronavirus, 37 percent said
their trust in the industry had increased. Only eight percent reported
less trust.
The importance of trust cannot be understated at this moment, but
also as the nation emerges from coronavirus. “Everything is now
personal; the business of business is therefore society,” wrote Dov
Seidman in recent Fortune op-ed. “In the fused world, how we
behave, how we operate, how we govern, and how we relate to
people and communities matters more than ever. Going forward,
businesses are going to compete on trust, on responsibility, and on
creating and maintaining deep relationships with their stakeholders
rooted in shared truths and values.”
37%
55%
8%
MORE
TRUST
THE SAME
LEVEL OF
TRUST
LESS
TRUST
TRUST IN THE CPG INDUSTRY

7. CONCERN ABOUT ABILITY TO PAY
BILLS OR AFFORD NECESSITIES
Yes, strongly
Yes, somewhat
Not yet, but I expect it
will
No, not really
Not, not at all
19%
Financial Worries
With a record 26 million Americans filing for
unemployment insurance and consistently grim
economic news, it is unsurprising that a majority
(58%) of Americans say they are at least somewhat
concerned about their family’s ability to pay bills or
afford necessities.
Those Americans whose jobs have been affected by
COVID-19—whether they were let go, furloughed or
had hours or pay reduced—have more intense
worries than those who are still employed full-time.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of those who have jobs
negatively impacted by coronavirus say they are
worried about their family’s ability to pay bills or
afford necessities. More than six-in-ten (62%) of
those who are employed full-time say the same — a
significantly lower number, but still a clear majority,
showing how anxious even employed Americans
feel right now.
30%
28%
14%
9%

8. 26%
19%
41%
34%
19%
25%
8%
13%
6%
9%
WHEN WILL GOVERNMENT EASE RESTRICTIONS? WHEN DO YOU THINK RESTRICTIONS SHOULD EASE?
Late Spring Early Summer Late Summer By End of 2020 Sometime in 2021
Most Americans feel government will move to reopen before they
should
Most Americans feel that the government will move to ease restrictions well before people personally feel they
should. The most popular response of when Americans felt the government would reopen the country was
early summer, which is also the most popular choice for when respondents personally felt it would be time to
lift restrictions, but by a significantly smaller margin (41% to 34%).
While there was little shift from last week with regard to when government would move to reopen, there was
greater movement in respondents’ personal feelings. Last week, 26 percent said they felt restrictions should
ease by late spring; in just a week, that number dropped to 19 percent.

9. 19%
19%
22%
21%
18%
16%
22%
20%
20%
24%
APRIL 15TH
APRIL 22ND
Strongly in favor of staying closed Slightly in favor of staying closed Neutral
Slightly in favor of reopening Strongly in favor of reopening
Divided debate swings toward staying closed
Last week, America was near-equally divided in the debate over reopening for the sake of the economy or
staying closed in the interest of public health. This week shows movement toward staying closed for public
health, as fewer Americans remain neutral in their opinion.

10. Demographics show we’re more alike than different
Differences in where we live, employment status and generation have relatively little bearing on how we feel
about coronavirus. If anything, the numbers show a country more unified in the fight against a common enemy.
A few key distinctions are noted below.
The one demographic area, however, that showed significant differences of opinion was based on political
leanings. Left-leaning Americans show much higher rates of general concern about coronavirus, less security
in their financial situation and a greater inclination to stay closed for public health, when compared to right-
leaning Americans. As this pandemic continues, the data suggest politics will take on a heavy role in shaping
the public debate.
Boomers are the
generation most likely to
favor staying closed for
public health over
reopening the economy.
55% of Boomers are in favor of
staying closed, compared to
44% of Gen X and 38% of
Millennials.
Americans in the Midwest
were most likely to report
being let go or furloughed
because of coronavirus.
20% of respondents in the
Midwest have been laid off or
furloughed, compared to 16% in
the Northeast, 15% in the South
and 12% in the West.
Negative employment
effects from coronavirus
increase financial hardship.
74% of Americans who have
been let go, furloughed or lost
hours or wages are worried
about paying bills and affording
necessities, compared to 62% of
full-time employed respondents.

11. How Americans feel
about coronavirus is
influenced by their
politics
Political leanings have significant
bearing on how Americans feel about
the coronavirus pandemic and when
life after the pandemic should begin.
Concern is dramatically higher with
left-leaning Americans, 72 percent of
whom say they are “very concerned”
about coronavirus, compared to only
43 percent of right-leaning
respondents.59%
33%
6%
3%
43%
40%
11%
7%
72%
26%
1%
1%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
YES, VERY
YES, SOMEWHAT
NO, NOT PARTICULARLY
NO, NOT AT ALL
Left-leaning Right-leaning Total
LEVEL OF GENERAL CONCERN ABOUT CORONAVIRUS

12. Left-leaning
Americans
experiencing more
financial hardship
Left-leaning Americans report
suffering some of the economic
consequences of coronavirus more
acutely. They are far more likely to
say that the pandemic has strongly
affected their family’s ability to pay
bills and afford necessities (43% of
left-leaning respondents compared to
22% of right-leaning).
30%
28%
14%
19%
9%
22%
25%
16%
21%
17%
43%
26%
10%
16%
5%
YES, STRONGLY YES, SOMEWHAT NOT YET, BUT I
EXPECT IT WILL
NO, NOT REALLY NO, NOT AT ALL
Total Right-leaning Left-leaning
CURRENT OR EXPECTED FINANCIAL HARDSHIP

13. Divided America on
the debate over
reopening or staying
closed
Despite the reported economic
hardship, left-leaning Americans were
far less likely than right-leaning
respondents to want to reopen the
country’s economy. A minority (41%)
of left-leaning respondents say in the
debate over whether to reopen for the
sake of the economy or stay closed to
protect public health that they are at
least slightly in favor of reopening,
compared to a majority (63%) of right-
leaning Americans.
REOPEN OR STAY CLOSED?
19%
21%
16%
20%
24%
30%
32%
14%
16%
8%
24%
17%
12%
16%
31%
Strongly in favor
of reopening
economy
Slightly in favor of
reopening
economy
Neither in favor of
reopening nor in
favor of staying
closed
Slightly in favor of
staying closed for
public health
Strongly in favor
of staying closed
for public health
Total Right-leaning Left-leaning

14. 33%
40%
18%
6%
3%
26%
36%
22%
11%
5%
LATE
SPRING
EARLY
SUMMER
LATE
SUMMER
END OF 2020 IN 2021
Government will ease restrictions
Personally feel restrictions should be eased
Left or right, Americans willing to wait longer than government
Right and left-leaning Americans are much closer together about when they personally feel the country should ease
restrictions in place now to mitigate against the spread of coronavirus. While there are still differences, 62 percent of
right-leaning Americans personally feel the government should ease restrictions by late spring or early summer,
compared to 51 percent of left-leaning respondents. Both groups also feel the government will move to ease
restrictions before they think it should, with 67 percent of right-leaning and 63 percent of left-leaning Americans
responding that the government would end lockdowns by late spring or early summer.
31%
37%
19%
8%
6%
19%
32%
25%
14%
10%
LATE
SPRING
EARLY
SUMMER
LATE
SUMMER
END OF 2020 IN 2021
Government will ease restrictions
Personally feel restrictions should be eased
RIGHT-LEANING LEFT-LEANING

15. METHODOLOGY
Consumer Brands Association has conducted eight surveys of American
adults (18+), with a margin of error of +/- 2.4%, powered by Toluna.
March 4: 604 adults
March 11: 709 adults
March 18: 711 adults
March 25: 926 adults
April 1: 1,453 adults
April 8: 1,018 adults
April 15: 1,020 adults
April 22: 1,128 adults