Poll: 52 percent of Americans believe COVID-19 came from a lab


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
A majority of Americans now back the COVID-19 lab leak theory, and "the belief is bipartisan," according to a new poll.
In a Politico-Harvard survey, 52 percent of respondents said they believe that COVID-19 came out of a lab, with this including 59 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of Democrats, while 28 percent said they believe the coronavirus came from an infected animal. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health professor Bob Blendon, who designed the poll, noted to Politico the surprising lack of a partisan divide on the question.
"Usually, our polls find a big split between Republicans and Democrats, so this is unique," he said. "More conservative media have been carrying the 'lab leak' issue, and it's been a Trump talking point from the beginning, so we expected people who lean Democratic would say either 'It's not true' or 'I don't know.' But the belief is bipartisan."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Blendon also noted that the shift in perception among Democrats could be a result of President Biden ordering intelligence agencies to look into the virus' origins. "That the president thought there was enough evidence to ask intelligence agencies to put together a report sends a signal to Democrats that there might be something there," Blendon explained. The idea was once seen as more of a fringe conspiracy theory, though, and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said in June he received death threats from other scientists for backing it.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said that he and other experts still believe COVID-19's origins are more likely to involve "a natural jumping of species from an animal reservoir to a human," though he has said that people should "keep an open mind."
The Politico-Harvard poll spoke with 1,009 adults from June 22-27. The margin of error was 3.8 percentage points. Read more at Politico.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.
-
You can now get a new Covid booster shot. Should you?
Unless you are old or otherwise at high risk, it isn't a 'slam dunk'
By Peter Weber Published
-
FDA to re-evaluate effectiveness of common nasal congestion ingredient
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
A flesh-eating bacteria is growing in numbers due to climate change
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published
-
CDC recommends new RSV vaccine for infants under 8 months
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published
-
U.S. health agency advises easing federal marijuana restrictions
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Medicare drug price negotiations start with 1st 10 drugs, pharmaceutical industry lawsuits
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Is it time to mask up again?
Today's Big Question A rise in Covid-19 cases brings back the possibility of mask mandates
By Joel Mathis Published
-
The NHS plan for virtual wards to beat winter crisis
feature Patients with respiratory infections to be given wearable devices that allow doctors to monitor them at home
By The Week Staff Published