Nearly 30% of Americans believe in conspiracy theory that coronavirus was created in a lab, reveals survey
While scientists have said that the SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 has a natural origin, the uncertainty over how people were first infected by the disease has left space for misinformation and conspiracy theories to grow.
And nearly three in 10 Americans believe COVID-19 was made in a lab, according to a new analysis. The report shows that 43% believe that the new coronavirus came about naturally.
"While a plurality of Americans (43%) say the new coronavirus most likely came about naturally, nearly three in ten (29%) say it most likely was created in a lab, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted from March 10 to 16.
The report further shows that 23% believe that the current strain of novel coronavirus may have been intentionally developed in a lab, while another 6% say it was most likely made accidentally in a lab.
Scientists say it is likely that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was passed from bats to a mystery animal species that then passed it on to humans. There have been allegations that the COVID-19 virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan.
Many scientists have, however, rubbished the rumors, stating that the deadly COVID-19 virus is not a bioweapon that escaped from a lab.
An analysis by researchers from the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, US, said the virus is a product of natural origin. "It is improbable that SARS-CoV-2 emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus."
"Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus. By comparing the available genome sequence data for known coronavirus strains, we can firmly determine that SARS-CoV-2 originated through natural processes," says the team in their findings published in Nature Medicine.
For the Pew survey, a total of 8,914 people responded out of 11,028 who were sampled. The researchers asked several questions, which includes "how closely have you been following news about the outbreak of the coronavirus strain known as COVID-19?" and "From what you’ve seen or heard, do you think it is most likely the current strain of the coronavirus came about naturally, was developed intentionally in a lab, was made accidentally in a lab, doesn’t exist?"
Among the other responses, a quarter of the participants say they are not sure where the virus originated. The results show that 25% of the respondents are unsure regarding the origin of the current strain of the coronavirus and 1% said it does not exist.
The analysis shows that age, education level, race and ethnicity are also factors when it comes to who believes that the virus originated in a lab. Those most likely to believe in the conspiracy are Republicans or Republican-leaning independents (37% versus 21% of Democrat or Democratic-leaning voters).
About four in 10 conservative Republicans who replied believe in the conspiracy theory (39%), the largest share of any ideological group.
Younger adults are also more likely than older people to say the virus was developed in a lab.
"About a third of adults ages 18 to 29 say the virus was developed in a lab (35%), compared with 21% of adults 65 and older. Nearly four in ten (39%) adults under 30 say it came about naturally, while 51% of those 65 and older say this," says the report.
Those with a bachelor's degree or more education are less likely than those with a high school diploma or less education to say the coronavirus was created in a lab (19% versus 35%).
A majority (61%) of those with at least a bachelor's degree say the virus came about naturally, compared with 31% of those with a high school diploma or less.
The belief that the coronavirus was created in a lab also is more prevalent among Hispanic and black Americans than among whites. "About four in ten Hispanic adults (39%) say the virus was created in a lab. Among black adults, 34% say the same. Around a quarter of white adults (26%) say it was developed in a lab," says the report.
Researchers also asked survey participants how confident they are that each of the following is doing a good job responding to the coronavirus outbreak — US President Donald Trump, US Vice President Mike Pence, state and local elected officials, and public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The results show that 40% in the US are very confident and 43% are somewhat confident that the CDC is doing a good job at responding to the pandemic. As far as state and local elected officials are concerned, 24% are very confident, and 49% are somewhat confident.
In the case of the president, 24% said they believe Trump is doing a good job at responding to the pandemic and 21% said they were somewhat confident. In the case of Pence, the numbers are 22% (very confident) and 21% (somewhat confident).