Abstract
In this article, we report the results of a survey of North American adults (n = 1,215) conducted between March 24 and 30, 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents completed the COVID-TIS (Transitional Impact Scale-Pandemic version) and the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), indicated their level of COVID-infection concern for themselves and close others, and provided demographic information. The results indicated: (a) during its early stage, the pandemic produced only moderate levels of material and psychological change; (b) the pandemic produced mild to moderate levels of psychological distress; (c) respondents who lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic experienced more change and more psychological distress than those who did not, and (d) younger respondents and less well-educated ones experienced more psychological distress than older respondents. Unexpectedly, (e) respondents indicated that they were more concerned that friends and family members would become infected with COVID-19 than that they would be. We conclude by speculating that these results are driven less by the immediate changes brought about by the pandemic and more by uncertainty concerning its long-term economic and social impact.
Highlights
We report the results of a survey conducted between March 24 and 30, 2020, less than 2 weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially labeled the COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and within 3 days of the United States (US)–Canada border being closed to non-essential travel on March 21, 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020)
Material subscale*** I spend my time in difference places than I did before the COVID-19 Pandemic
My material circumstances are different than they were before the COVID-19 Pandemic*** The activities I engage in are different from the ones I engaged in before the COVID-19 Pandemic
Summary
We report the results of a survey conducted between March 24 and 30, 2020, less than 2 weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially labeled the COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and within 3 days of the United States (US)–Canada border being closed to non-essential travel on March 21, 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020). This was about the time, in North America, when learning and office work was moving on-line, retail establishments were closing, and the pandemic was coming to dominate the news cycle and social interactions. We were interested in understanding, at that early stage in the pandemic, (d) how concerned people were with becoming infected with the coronavirus
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