Politics

Poll: Two-Thirds Of Americans Doubt Coronavirus Death Tolls

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William Davis Contributor
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An overwhelming majority of Americans doubt official coronavirus death tolls in the U.S, a new poll shows.

Two-thirds of American adults doubt the official death tolls, according to an Axios poll published Tuesday. The poll found that 40% of Republicans believed that deaths are being overcounted, compared to 24% who believe they are being undercounted.

The results flipped dramatically when Democratic voters were surveyed, with 63% responding that death tolls were being undercounted, compared to just 7% who said they were being overcounted. The poll was included 1,012 U.S. adults, and has a margin of error of roughly 3.2%. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Jan.21: Fauci Says Coronavirus ‘Not A Major Threat’ To U.S.)

U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., Apr. 8, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., Apr. 8, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The method the U.S. and certain states have used to count deaths has been a subject of intense debate in recent weeks after White House Dr. Deborah Birx said last month that the U.S was being “very liberal” in the way it was counting deaths. Later that month, New York City added nearly 4,000 people to its death tolls overnight who never tested positive for the virus, while the CDC confirmed that they were counting “probable” cases of coronavirus in its official tolls. (RELATED: Sweden Is Reaping The Benefits After Defying Conventional Coronavirus Wisdom)

On the other hand, some pundits have pointed to rising death rates as evidence that death tolls from the virus are being undercounted. Several reporters from The New York Times estimated that the world has suffered at least 46,000 more fatalities than listed in official totals after studying data in 14 countries. Some authoritarian countries, including China have been deliberately undercounting their deaths, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.