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Americans think they are better at social-distancing than their neighbors

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
Good, but not excellent.
  • Jenni Avins
By Jenni Avins

senior lifestyle correspondent

The coronavirus might prevent Americans from socializing with our neighbors, but it can’t stop us from judging them. A sheer scarf is not a mask. Wow, another Amazon delivery?

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently surveyed more than 1,000 adults living in the US about their experiences with coronavirus and social-distancing. Asked to grade themselves and their neighbors, more than half of those surveyed gave themselves an “A” for “excellent” when it came to following social-distancing guidelines—a grade only about 35% bestowed upon their neighbors. 24% of respondents gave their neighbors a grade of C or below (“average,” “poor,” or “failing”). Only 11% of people graded themselves so poorly.

Most people also think they’re a little better than the people they live with. 90% of respondents said they are either “excellent” or “good” at social-distancing, but only 83% are sure this is true of others in their household.

The vast majority of those surveyed—84%—said their lives had been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. Still, 80% felt that social-distancing and shelter-in-place guidelines were worthwhile to prevent further spread of the virus. If only everyone were as excellent at it as they are.

