Americans see infectious diseases as a bigger threat than terrorism, nuclear weapons, and climate change as the coronavirus continues to spread

• Americans see infectious diseases as the biggest threat to the US, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center.
• Amid the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, 79% now say outbreaks of diseases are a major threat, up from 52% during the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.
• Infectious diseases beat out terrorism, nuclear weapons, cyberattacks, and climate change among Americans' top concerns.
• Concerns about the power and influence of China and Russia, as well as climate change and the condition of the global economy, have also been on the rise.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Americans say the spread of infectious diseases poses the biggest threat to the well-being of the country, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center published Monday.

"Nearly all US adults (98%) say this is at least a minor threat, with roughly eight-in-ten (79%) naming outbreaks of disease as a major threat to the country," the survey authors wrote.

As US coronavirus cases surpass 580,000, deaths reach 23,500, and more than 10% of the workforce having filed for unemployment, Americans are growing increasingly worried about the risk COVID-19 and other infectious diseases pose to the country's health and prosperity.

In 2014, as the Ebola virus spread across countries in West Africa, eventually leading to 11 cases in the US, 52% of Americans said they viewed disease outbreaks as a major threat. When Pew surveyed people in late March of this year, that number had jumped to 79%.

Concerns about diseases also crossed the political aisle: Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to say outbreaks pose a threat, both in Pew's most recent survey as well as in 2014 and 2016.

However, Americans with lower incomes were 9 percentage points more likely to express concerns about diseases, and those earning less than $50,000 per year were about 10 points more likely. Those differences in opinion come as the coronavirus pandemic is revealing stark divides in American society and who is impacted most by the virus.

Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.