Social distancing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as the main way the virus spreads is through close contact between people. However, keeping people apart is not so easy in practice. While some people may enjoy the opportunity to stay in more, many are negatively affected by the new constraints on their social life, jobs, exercise regimens, shopping opportunities and more. Over a third of Americans say the COVID-19 crisis has hurt their mental health, according to a recent poll from the American Psychiatric Association.
In order to find out where social distancing is most difficult, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 13 key metrics. Our data set ranges from whether residents have supportive relationships to how non-essential travel has changed due to the pandemic and how much consumers spent on social activities before COVID-19. Read on for the state ranking, additional insight from a panel of experts and a complete description of our methodology.
Alongside this report, WalletHub also released a Social Distancing Survey , which examines how Americans’ attitudes and behaviors have changed during this period of self-isolation.
