America’s teens and young adults have a crucial role in containing the spread of COVID-19, but a series of youth surveys suggests that many misunderstand social distancing guidelines and want clearer advice on how to safely live their lives.
This is especially relevant now that universities are back in session and many campuses are seeing COVID-19 outbreaks.
Over the last several months, our team at the University of Michigan has conducted several national text-message surveys of over 1,000 American youth ages 14-24 to better understand what they are going through during the pandemic.
What we have learned sheds light on young people’s perspectives and could help improve public health practices.
I can hang out with friends, right?
The responses by young people in our surveys suggest that they are taking the pandemic seriously.
From our surveys starting in March and continuing throughout the summer, we found about three-quarters of young people were feeling some level of anxiety about the pandemic. Many reported following guidelines such as distancing, wearing masks, and staying at home, most often due to their concern for others. These respondents cited the importance of protecting friends, family and high-risk groups. “Not so much for my own health but for my parents and grandparents,” one wrote.
However, as youth described their thinking and behaviors to us, it became clear there are misunderstandings about the guidelines related to social distancing.
Often, young people in our survey did not fully comprehend the rigorous nature of social distancing rules. For example, a few resp ..
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