Policy, Risk & Response

Section Overview

In this fourth round survey on COVID-19, we asked scientists about the ways in which their professional and personal lives have been impacted over the past few years. We also asked their opinions on policy issues related to the pandemic.

Question 

Finding

The most commonly reported practices adopted by scientists’ home universities in response to the pandemic are: 

(i) regularly communications about campus COVID-19 policies (98%),  

(ii) free COVID-19 testing (93%),   

(iii) regular updates on COVID-19 infection levels (82%), and  

(iv) free COVID-19 vaccines (79%).

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Question

Finding

Less than half of scientist respondents (43%) report that they go to campus much less or somewhat less often, compared to before the pandemic. This proportion is smaller than reported in the 2022 Covid-19 impact survey, where 57% of respondents reported going to campus less often. 

More than half of scientists (53%) go to the campus at about the same frequency compared to before the pandemic, an increase of 15% compared to the 2022 response.  

Question

Finding

A larger proportion of female faculty report going to campus somewhat or much less often as compared to male faculty (p<0.05).

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Question

Findings 

More than half of scientists (58%) believe the U.S. government has managed the COVID-19 pandemic somewhat, very, or extremely effectively. 

Scientists have become more positive about the government response to Covid-19 over time. In 2020, 10% of scientists believed that the US government managed the pandemic somewhat, very, or extremely effectively. In subsequent surveys a much larger percentage of respondents reported the same (59% in 2021 and 56% in 2022).  

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Question

Finding 

More than half of scientists (53%) believe that the U.S. government will effectively manage pandemics caused by emerging infectious diseases in the future. 

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Question

Finding

Over half of scientists (58%) are at least somewhat confident that scientific evidence will inform national health policy for future pandemics caused by emerging infectious diseases. 

Question

Finding

Scientists’ opinions diverge on the cause of Covid-19 pandemic. While over half of respondents (55%) report that a natural animal-to-human transmission is the most likely origin, a little less than one fifth (18%) attribute it to an accidental lab leak.   

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Question

Finding

Scientists’ opinions on the side effects of Covid-19 vaccines and boosters are mixed. While over half of respondents (56%) are certain that there are few serious side effects of Covid-19 vaccines, 14% believe they probably or almost certainly have some serious side effects.

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