In late 2019 a novel coronavirus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Over the following months, the regional outbreak exploded into a devastating global crisis with unsettling levels of uncertainty. How does the virus spread? How will we pay the bills? What will happen next? By looking at Google Trends search data related to the Covid-19 pandemic, we can discover patterns in our desire for information—waves of interest that reflect the pandemic’s progression and our understanding of it.
The following visualization explores some of the top coronavirus-related search trends in the US between January 20 and April 24, 2020. Each bubble represents a query that was among the top trending searches in one or more US states (smallest to largest bubbles) on each day. Accompanying charts compare English-language search trends for five other countries.
In early 2020, few anticipated Covid-19’s global impact. As the severity of the outbreak became apparent, our growing need for information mirrored the escalating health crisis.
As we understood the gravity of the outbreak, we searched not only about “what is/are” but also “how to” in order to take action.
Our searching reflected the pandemic’s impacts: for instance, how to prepare (for a mounting health disaster) and how to get unemployment (amid an economic downturn). As the crisis continued, our search for clarity became more specific.
As the coronavirus pandemic progressed, we searched for information tied to our everyday routines and facts related to broader societal impacts.
The Covid-19 pandemic and its effects will continue to evolve over the following months as the number of infections may dissipate in certain places and increase in others. Already governments around the world are scrambling to determine how to reopen economies safely. The future is extremely difficult to project.
Almost all agree on one thing: the pandemic and its resulting impacts are far from over. As the situation develops, we'll continue searching for answers.