Searching Covid-19

Finding Patterns in Our Need for Knowledge

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.

Schema Google News Initiative Axios

Increasing Growth

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.

Taking Action

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.

“What Is/Are” vs. “How To”

% of Covid-19 related queries
(English language)

As the pandemic progressed, countries around the world struggled to understand the virus and what to do about it. The balance between “what” and “how to” questions varied across geographies.

Interests and Impact

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.

Economic Impact vs.
General Knowledge

% of Covid-19 related queries
(English language)

At the global level, searches related to economic contraction—e.g., questions about unemployment and furlough—appeared at later dates and often followed an interest in general knowledge about the coronavirus. Differences may reflect local outbreak cycles and the types of governmental programs available to ease financial hardship.

Personal and Public Impacts

As the coronavirus pandemic progressed, we searched for information tied to our everyday routines and facts related to broader societal impacts.

Mask vs. Sanitizer

% of Covid-19 related queries
(English language)

Many Western countries hesitated to recommend wearing face coverings in public in order to slow the spread of Covid-19. On the other hand, many Asian countries embraced face masks early, while Western countries remained focused on disinfecting.

A Developing Situation

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.

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