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Round 1 Topic: Long COVID

Rapid Surveys from the National Center for Health Statistics collect timely, relevant data on topics of public health importance. Surveys are conducted several times a year using probability-based commercial online panels. Each survey includes a unique set of questions about different public health topics. Data collection for Round 1 occurred during August 2023.

This page includes estimates in dashboard and table formats. Estimates include the percentage of adults ages 18 and older by attitudes and beliefs about Long COVID, differences in these attitudes and beliefs by experience with Long COVID, and where they would go first to learn more about Long COVID.

Explore other Round 1 topics
Table 1. Percentage of adults who have heard of Long COVID and report select attitudes and beliefs about Long COVID, by experience: United States, August 2023
Total Has had Long COVID or knows someone who has had it Has not had Long COVID or known anyone who has had it
Percent (95% confidence interval)
At least somewhat agree that Long COVID is a real illness 82.0 (80.7–83.2) 89.0 (87.2–90.7) 78.3 (76.5–80.0)
At least somewhat agree that Long COVID can be debilitating and should be taken seriously 80.2 (78.8–81.5) 89.3 (87.5–90.9) 75.2 (73.4–77.0)
At least somewhat agree that those with Long COVID may just be depressed 23.7 (22.3–25.1) 24.2 (21.8–26.7) 23.3 (21.6–25.1)
At least somewhat agree that Long COVID symptoms are often just the normal aches and pains of life 20.4 (19.1–21.8) 18.7 (16.6–21.0) 21.5 (19.8–23.2)
At least somewhat agree that employers should provide reasonable accommodations for people with Long COVID 72.8 (71.3–74.3) 81.8 (79.7–83.8) 67.9 (65.8–69.9)
At least somewhat agree that the media and news reports exaggerate the problems that people with Long COVID face 29.8 (28.3–31.4) 29.1 (26.5–31.8) 30.3 (28.4–32.3)
At least somewhat agree that Long COVID can be passed from one person to another 10.7 (9.6–11.8) 11.7 (10.0–13.6) 10.0 (8.7–11.4)

NOTES: All estimates shown meet the NCHS standards of reliability. See technical notes for more details.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, Rapid Surveys System, Round 1, August 2023.

Table 2. Percent distribution of where adults would go first to learn more about Long COVID, by select demographics: United States, August 2023
Total Talk with a doctor or other health care professional Talk with family or friends Get information from CDC Get information from your state or local health department Search the internet Something else
Percent (confidence intervals)
Total 100 45.1 (43.8–46.5) 2.5 (2.1–3.0) 10.8 (10.0–11.7) 3.3 (2.8–3.8) 33.9 (32.6–35.3) 4.4 (3.7–5.0)
Age group
18–44 100 38.2 (36.0–40.5) 3.5 (2.8–4.5) 12.0 (10.6–13.4) 3.3 (2.6–4.3) 37.5 (35.3–39.7) 5.4 (4.4–6.7)
45–64 100 48.0 (45.8–50.2) 1.6 (1.1–2.2) 9.6 (8.4–11.0) 2.9 (2.1–3.8) 33.9 (31.8–36.0) 4.1 (3.1–5.1)
65 years and older 100 55.7 (53.1–58.3) 1.5 (1.0–2.3) 10.0 (8.5–11.7) 3.6 (2.7–4.8) 26.7 (24.4–29.0) 2.5 (1.7–3.4)
Gender
Female 100 44.0 (42.0–46.1) 3.2 (2.5–4.0) 9.9 (8.7–11.3) 3.2 (2.5–4.1) 34.6 (32.6–36.5) 5.0 (4.1–6.2)
Male 100 46.2 (44.4–48.0) 1.8 (1.4–2.4) 11.6 (10.5–12.9) 3.3 (2.6–4.1) 33.4 (31.6–35.1) 3.7 (3.0–4.5)
Race and Hispanic origin
Hispanic 100 49.6 (45.9–53.3) 2.1 (1.1–3.6) 9.9 (7.8–12.3) 4.6 (3.1–6.4) 29.6 (26.3–33.1) 4.3 (2.6–6.5)
Black or African American, non–Hispanic 100 48.4 (44.2–52.5) 3.3 (2.0–5.1) 13.9 (11.3–16.9) 5.3 (3.5–7.7) 23.4 (20.1–27.0) 5.7 (3.7–8.3)
White, non–Hispanic 100 43.8 (42.2–45.4) 2.4 (1.9–3.0) 10.6 (9.6–11.7) 2.4 (1.9–2.9) 36.7 (35.1–38.4) 4.2 (3.5–4.9)
Other, non–Hispanic 100 41.8 (36.3–47.4) 2.6 (1.2–4.8) 9.7 (7.0–12.9) 3.9 (2.2–6.4) 38.7 (33.3–44.2) 3.4 (1.8–5.7)
Education
High school degree or GED or less 100 48.6 (46.1–51.1) 3.0 (2.2–4.0) 8.0 (6.8–9.4) 4.1 (3.2–5.2) 29.3 (27.0–31.6) 7.0 (5.7–8.5)
Some college 100 45.4 (43.0–47.9) 3.1 (2.3–4.1) 11.7 (10.1–13.4) 3.5 (2.6–4.5) 32.7 (30.3–35.2) 3.6 (2.8–4.6)
Bachelor degree or higher 100 41.1 (38.9–43.3) 1.5 (1.0–2.1) 13.2 (11.7–14.7) 2.2 (1.6–2.8) 40.0 (37.9–42.2) 2.0 (1.3–3.0)
Household income as a percentage of the federal poverty level
Less than 100% FPL 100 48.2 (43.9–52.6) 3.2 (2.0–5.0) 8.7 (6.5–11.4) 6.5 (4.5–9.1) 26.5 (22.8–30.6) 6.7 (4.7–9.3)
100% to less than 200% FPL 100 47.1 (43.7–50.5) 3.3 (2.1–4.8) 10.0 (8.1–12.2) 2.6 (1.6–3.9) 30.5 (27.4–33.7) 6.6 (4.9–8.6)
200% and greater FPL 100 44.1 (42.4–45.7) 2.1 (1.7–2.7) 11.4 (10.4–12.5) 2.8 (2.3–3.4) 36.2 (34.6–37.9) 3.3 (2.7–4.1)
Region
Northeast 100 48.5 (45.1–52.0) 2.4 (1.4–3.9) 9.3 (7.5–11.5) 2.6 (1.7–3.7) 32.5 (29.3–35.7) 4.7 (3.0–6.9)
Midwest 100 47.4 (44.7–50.1) 3.0 (2.1–4.1) 9.8 (8.2–11.7) 2.8 (1.9–3.9) 32.9 (30.2–35.6) 4.2 (3.1–5.5)
South 100 42.6 (40.3–44.9) 2.4 (1.7–3.3) 11.5 (10.1–13.1) 3.1 (2.3–4.1) 35.4 (33.1–37.7) 5.0 (4.0–6.2)
West 100 44.8 (41.9–47.8) 2.2 (1.5–3.1) 11.6 (9.8–13.6) 4.4 (3.3–5.8) 33.7 (30.9–36.6) 3.3 (2.4–4.4)
Urbanicity
Large central metro 100 46.1 (43.5–48.6) 2.2 (1.5–3.1) 10.7 (9.3–12.3) 4.1 (3.1–5.3) 33.5 (31.0–36.0) 3.4 (2.5–4.5)
Large fringe metro 100 46.2 (43.2–49.2) 2.4 (1.5–3.6) 10.7 (9.1–12.5) 2.1 (1.4–2.9) 35.2 (32.5–37.9) 3.5 (2.3–4.9)
Medium and small metro 100 43.7 (41.3–46.1) 2.8 (2.0–3.8) 11.6 (10.0–13.4) 3.7 (2.7–4.9) 33.5 (31.2–36.0) 4.7 (3.6–6.0)
Nonmetropolitan 100 44.5 (40.8–48.2) 2.6 (1.6–3.9) 9.5 (7.4–12.1) 2.6 (1.6–4.0) 33.4 (29.9–37.0) 7.4 (5.4–9.9)

NOTES: GED = general educational development certificate. FPL = federal poverty level. Percentages may not add to totals due to rounding. All estimates shown meet the NCHS standards of reliability. See technical notes for more details.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, Rapid Surveys System, Round 1, August 2023.

Survey Topics

Explore Rapid Surveys System estimates by health topic.

Technical Notes

See the technical notes [PDF – 68 KB] for more information on these measures.

Limitations

Data collected under the Rapid Surveys System are intended to complement and not replace the current household survey systems at NCHS, including the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The Rapid Surveys System approach has a greater potential for coverage and nonresponse bias and smaller sample sizes, thus resulting in lower precision (especially for subgroups). The Rapid Surveys System is particularly well suited for time-sensitive data needs, measuring public health attitudes, developmental work to improve concept measurement, and methodological studies.

Data Source

Rapid Surveys System data are cross-sectional data based on commercial probability-sampled online survey panels that are supplemented, if necessary, with alternative modes to improve representativeness. Data were collected from 7,599 adult participants this cycle using two panels – AmeriSpeak (conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago) and KnowledgePanel (conducted by Ipsos). Estimates shown in this dashboard are based on data collected in Round 1 of Rapid Surveys, occurring during August 2023. All estimates shown meet the NCHS Data Presentation Standards for Proportions.

Survey Questions
Suggested Citation

NCHS Rapid Surveys System. Long COVID. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/rss/round1/long-covid.html.