Understanding America Study

California

These graphics represent the answers of residents of California to the Understanding Coronavirus in America tracking survey. Results were updated daily with the responses of the California members of our population-representative Understanding America Study. Between April 1, 2020 and March 16 2021 each panel member was invited to respond on a pre-assigned day of the week every other week and each data point represented a half sample of responses from the previous seven days*. After March 17, 2021, panel members responded monthly and each data point represents a quarter of the sample. The graphs were updated just after 3am PDT every day of the week. Use the tabs to view results from the full national sample, or from our Los Angeles County sample, to learn more about our survey methods, or to access the data files used to create the graphics on this site. Use the context menu at the upper right of each graph to download the graphic file.

by NoneAgeEducationIncomeRace-ethnicitySex Go

*The colored bands around each line represent margins of error (95% confidence intervals). To view point estimates, ranges, and sample sizes (N) for a given day, hover your mouse over your data point of interest.  You can also click on the data labels below the graph to hide and un-hide specific trend lines. The survey questions, topline data, and data files are available at https://uasdata.usc.edu/covid19. For a special note on the data shown between March 16 and April 6, see the Survey Methods tab.

Los Angeles County

These graphics represent the answers of residents of Los Angeles County to the Understanding Coronavirus in America tracking survey. Results were updated daily with the responses of the Los Angeles members of our population-representative Understanding America Study. Between April 1 2020 and March 16 2021 each panel member was invited to respond on a pre-assigned day of the week every week and each data point represented a half sample of responses from the previous seven days*. After March 17 2021, panel members responded biweekly and each data point represents a quarter of the sample. The graphs were updated just after 3am PDT every day of the week. Use the tabs to view results from the full national sample, or from our California sample, to learn more about our survey methods, or to access the data files used to create the graphics on this site. Use the context menu at the upper right of each graph to download the graphic file.

by NoneAgeEducationIncomeRace-ethnicitySex Go

*The colored bands around each line represent margins of error (95% confidence intervals). To view point estimates, ranges, and sample sizes (N) for a given day, hover your mouse over your data point of interest.  You can also click on the data labels below the graph to hide and un-hide specific trend lines. The survey questions, topline data, and data files are available at https://uasdata.usc.edu/covid19. For a special note on the data shown between March 16 and April 6, see the Survey Methods tab.

State Tracker

The State Tracker compared weekly outcomes across four states: California, Washington, New York, and Florida between March and September , 2020. The results presented for California are weekly averages of variables included in the Understanding Coronavirus in America tracking survey. The data for Washington, New York, and Florida are provided by Civis Analytics. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Civis Analytics conducted weekly, weighted online surveys to over 4,000 Americans nationally, with state oversamples.*

*For information about Civis survey sampling methods, and for access to full toplines, demographic crosstabs or anonymized respondent data, please contact the Civis team at gates_c19_tracker@civisanalytics.com.

Survey Methods

On April 1, 2020, USC's Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) invited all active members of CESR's Understanding America Study (UAS) probability-based internet panel to participate in an ongoing coronavirus tracking poll.

For the waves encompassing April 1 2020 through March 16, 2021, ach panel member was randomized to respond on a pre-assigned day of the week, distributed so that a full sample was invited to participate over a 14-day period. Respondents had 14 days to complete the survey but receive an extra monetary incentive for completing the survey on the day they are invited to participate. Data for the full sample was thus final after a 28 day period. For subsequent wave, the distribution was over a 28 day period, so a full sample participate monthly.

In waves that concluded before March 17, 2021, Los Angeles County residents answered once a week, alternating between a long form survey which was administered to everyone across the country every two weeks, and a short-form survey administered only to LA County residents every other week. For the subset of long form and short form survey questions that are identical, data for the full LA County sample was final after a 14 day period. For subsequent waves, LA County residents were surveyed on a biweekly basis.

The design creates a sample that is updated daily, shown in corresponding graphs on our tracking poll website Covid19Pulse.usc.edu. These are refreshed just after 3am PDT every day of the week. On the site, the viewer can choose to view aggregated results from our national sample, and from our Los Angeles County sub-sample. The graphs may be run for overall results, or among categories of age, race/ethnicity, gender, education, and income, when sample size allows.

The first UAS Corona survey was fielded on March 10 and stayed in the field through March 31. All UAS panel members were invited to take the survey starting March 10. Thus there was no random assignment of respondents to specific start days, and hence the responses shown over time simply reflect differences in how quickly UAS respondents take a survey. This has two effects: (1) possibly respondents answering later are different from respondents answering earlier and this may confound the interpretation of changes shown in the graphs over time; (2) the number of respondents answering on a given day is considerably lower on later days, and hence the data points later in the month are based on fewer observations, as one can see by hovering the mouse over the data points, and is reflected in wider confidence intervals.

Not all variables are collected in all waves. This is reflected in the graphs by missing data.

We provide the aggregated data used to create the graphics in csv format, and the graphics files themselves are downloadable in several formats. These are available for download from the context menu in the upper right corner of each graph on this site.

Survey questionnaires, toplines, downloadable microdata files, and links to publications are available from our UAS data site at https://uasdata.usc.edu/covid19. Tracking survey microdata files, and files associated with other covid-19 data collections, are also available for download by registered users at that location, at the close of each survey wave.

Approximately 7100. An average of about 6200 adult residents of the U.S. have participated in the ongoing tracking surveys. This includes nearly 1500 residents of L.A. County. Specific sample sizes and sampling error information is provided in individual press releases and publications. Sampling error calculations are at the 95% confidence level. Factors other than sampling error may affect results of any survey, including question wording, question order, mode, sample type, population coverage, and impact of current events.

For more information about the UAS panel, including weighting details; panel sampling procedures; recruitment protocols, survey and recruitment response rates; panel attrition rates; panel management protocols; and microdata files (including nonresponse and paradata), please visit the Understanding America Study website at https://uasdata.usc.edu.

The full survey wording and question text are provided in the topline releases, codebooks, and questionnaires at https://uasdata.usc.edu/covid19. For most questions, we rotate the order of response options, and/or questions to average out order effects. Respondents participated via computer, mobile device or tablet, at any time of day or night during the field period. The survey was conducted in the respondents' choice of English or Spanish.

Topline reports, codebook, and microdata associated with this release are available to registered UAS users at https://uasdata.usc.edu/covid19.

All members of the Understanding America Study were invited to fill out a survey(UAS46) where they learned about the Covid tracking survey project and to make a decision whether or not to participate. More than 88% filled out the survey, and 97% agreed to participate. A small proportion of UAS Panel members who were recruited via a list sample for a specific project and those who are no longer active panel members are not included in the weighted data files.

The method for creating sample weights for the tracking survey follows the general procedure for UAS surveys described in CESR's online methodology documentation. Sample weights are constructed in two steps. First, we calculate a base weight that corrects for unequal probabilities of selection of different households into the UAS. Second, we generate post-stratification weights, which align sample distributions of key demographics, namely gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, and geographic location, with their population counterparts. Population benchmarks are derived from the Basic Monthly Current Population Survey (CPS). The provided sample weights bring the sample in line with the U.S. adult population, if the entire sample is used. The sample weights also provide alignment with the population of Los Angeles County residents, California residents excluding Los Angeles County, and U.S. excluding California, if these geographic sub-samples are selected.

The UAS is an ongoing national research panel that started in 2014. We recruit panel members in waves from Marketing Systems Group frames of all household addresses in the United States. To ensure full coverage of the U.S. population, we provide internet-connected tablets to households that were not already online. Our panel includes U.S. residents who have cell phones, landlines, or no phone at all. It also includes a small number of respondents recruited from a list sample, these participants are not included in weighted samples. Panel members are compensated for their participation.

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR), part of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, conducts basic and applied research in economics, psychology, demography, education, and sociology. The center's name signifies the breadth of the research, which encompasses numerous disciplines, topics and methodologies. The Center's multi-disciplinary philosophy fosters a productive and innovative research environment focused on understanding and informing important societal issues.

Arie Kapteyn Ph.D., is Professor of Economics and the Executive Director of the Dornsife College of Letters Arts and Sciences Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the University of Southern California.

Daniel Bennett Ph.D., is Assistant Professor (Research) of Economics at the Dornsife College of Letters Arts and Sciences Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the University of Southern California.

Kyla Thomas Ph.D., is a Sociologist at the Dornsife College of Letters Arts and Sciences Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the University of Southern California.

Jill E Darling MSHS, is Survey Director for the Understanding America Study at the Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California.

Detailed Data

The csv files listed below contain the results plotted in the charts, with some additional information, such as sample size.
Registered users of the Understanding America Study can download the underlying individual-level (micro) data from the UAS datapages. Registration is free. You can download the data user agreement here, complete and sign it, and return it as indicated on the form.

Click here for more information on these files.

Contact Us

The USC Center for Economic and Social Research's Understanding Coronavirus in America tracking survey is part of the ongoing Understanding America Study (UAS) at the University of Southern California's (USC) Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR). The project represents a pioneering approach to tracking changes in Americans' opinions throughout the Covid 19 pandemic. Respondents in our representative panel of U.S. households are asked questions on a regular basis.

For detailed information about how the survey is conducted, including full question wording and weighting / estimation procedures, please visit our Survey Methods tab. For information about the Understanding America Study (UAS) web panel in USC's Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR), including inquiries about conducting surveys with the panel, or to meet the Covid19 poll team, or view our publicly available data sets, please visit the UAS site at https://uasdata.usc.edu or contact CESR Director Arie Kapteyn (kapteyn@dornsife.usc.edu), UAS Survey Director Jill Darling (jilldarl@usc.edu) or CESR Managing Director Tania Gutsche (tgutsche@usc.edu). CESR offices are located on the University Park Campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California and in Washington, D.C.

For questions relating to the poll's content and findings, please contact UAS Survey Director Jill Darling at jilldarl@usc.edu.