Ann Arbor research firm finds men in Michigan less likely to follow social distancing practices

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Research conducted by Ann Arbor-based research firm, Altarum, shows that women in Michigan take social distancing guidelines and orders more seriously than men.

Since March 19, Altarum, which supports Michigan’s public health and outbreak management systems, has surveyed almost 19,000 Michigan residents about their perspectives, attitudes and behaviors about COVID-19.

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Here’s what the data says so far

• 33% of men reported an overall lower feeling of concern about the novel coronavirus than women. 18 % of women reported similarly.
• 76% of men reported avoiding public spaces a lot more or far more than usual, whereas 90 % of women reported the same.
• 77% of men reported maintaining the recommended 6-feet distance a lot more or far more than usual compared to 85% of women. 
• 9% of men reported that they are “unlikely” or “extremely unlikely” to follow Michigan’s shelter-in-place order compared to 4% of women surveyed. (This data was gathered within two days of the statewide order taking effect on March 23.)

Altarum also stated that in the last week of March, 11% of men self-reported attending a gathering of 10 or more people compared to only 5% of women.

"Data on COVID-19 cases in Italy and Spain indicate that men may be at greater risk of death from the coronavirus than women, underscoring the need for men to take social distancing measures seriously,” Dan Armijo, chief operating officer of Altarum said through a statement. “And while our survey focused on Michigan, we believe similar risk taking differences exist between men and women across the country.”

Updated data will be regularly available by Altarum but charts and data visualizations are available here. Results on some charts can be narrowed down by county, gender, risk factor and survey week.

For Washtenaw County, Altarum has received 1,723 surveys, with 92% of respondents stating they are staying home as much as possible.

The research firm has conducted the tracking survey to understand the risk factors, behaviors and concerns of Michigan residents as well as sources of information.

Residents are encouraged to take the survey here.