60 percent of Americans say federal government's coronavirus response is making the pandemic worse


The U.S.'s COVID-19 response has fallen far behind most of the rest of the world's — and many Americans think the federal government is largely to blame.
In contrast to President Trump's false insistence that the U.S. has one of the world's lowest mortality rates from coronavirus, a New York Times analysis published Tuesday shows the U.S. actually accounts for more than its population's share of COVID-19 deaths. And Americans largely recognize the U.S.'s failures, with 60 percent of them saying the federal government's COVID-19 response is actually making the pandemic worse, an Axios-Ipsos poll has found.
Just 39 percent of Americans say the federal government is making America's coronavirus recovery better, the poll found, though there's a sharp divide between parties. Only 19 percent of Democrats say the federal government is making things better, while 80 percent say things are getting worse. Independents largely agree, with 68 percent say the government isn't helping. Meanwhile 74 percent of Republicans say the federal government is improving things, while 25 percent say it's actively worsening the pandemic, the poll found.
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.
Beyond just his response, Americans don't even trust Trump to give them accurate information regarding the coronavirus, the Axios-Ipsos poll says. But things aren't much better for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden — 31 percent of Americans say they trust Trump for accurate COVID-19 information, while 46 percent say they trust Biden.
The Axios-Ipsos poll surveyed 1,100 adults from Aug. 28-31, with a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Why social media is obsessed with cortisol
In The Spotlight Wellness trend is the latest response to an increasingly maligned hormone
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday note
Speed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to rise
Under the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants