Poll: Many Americans feel lonely and anxious during pandemic

OAK PARK, Ill. (AP) — Americans are feeling isolated and anxious. They fear they or their loved ones will get sick. They worry about their jobs.

As the coronavirus pandemic upends lives across the United States, it's taking a widespread toll on people's mental health and stress levels, according to a survey that finds a majority of Americans felt nervous, depressed, lonely or hopeless in the past week.

“It's just so overwhelming, the fear and anxiety," said 49-year-old Julie Hitchcock of Milwaukee, who had pneumonia last fall. She spent two weeks on a ventilator and 10 weeks away from work, only to be furloughed because of the coronavirus shutdown shortly after resuming work full time.

Her furlough ended last week. She rides city buses to and from her job at an international education nonprofit, and that drives her fears that she could get sick or unknowingly have the virus and infect someone else, who then might end up on a ventilator.

The poll conducted last week is the first wave of the COVID Impact Survey by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Data Foundation. The survey aims to provide an ongoing assessment of the nation's mental, physical and financial health during the pandemic.

Roughly two-thirds of Americans say they felt nervous, depressed, lonely or hopeless on at least one of their past seven days, the poll found. For each of the four emotions, close to 2 in 10 Americans said they felt that way on three or more days. Fourteen percent said they felt reactions such as sweating, becoming nauseous or hyperventilating when thinking about their experience with the pandemic.

But the survey also found some bright spots as Americans cope with the pandemic: About one-fifth report more frequent texting, phone calls or online contact with friends and...