Fox News Poll: Many say gov't hiding info on Ebola, most support flight bans

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Nearly half of American voters think the federal government is hiding information about the Ebola virus from them, according to the latest Fox News national poll.

The new poll, released Wednesday, also finds that voters:

- Are concerned the Ebola virus will spread throughout the United States

- Support banning flights from countries where the virus has broken out

- Think media coverage on Ebola has been appropriate rather than sensationalized

CLICK TO READ THE POLL

Here are detailed numbers:

More than two-thirds of voters (68 percent) are concerned about the Ebola virus spreading throughout the country, while just over half (55 percent) think the government is prepared to deal with it. Indeed, more than twice as many voters are “very” concerned (37 percent) than say the government is “very” prepared (16 percent).

Women (71 percent) are more concerned than men (64 percent), and Republicans (74 percent) are more worried than Democrats (63 percent) about Ebola spreading. Voters over age 65 are the most concerned (80 percent), while those under age 30 are the least concerned (55 percent).

Democrats (64 percent) are more likely than Republicans (51 percent) or independents (48 percent) to believe the government is prepared to deal with Ebola.

Overall, by a 60-35 percent margin, voters say the U.S. should ban flights from countries where the virus has broken out. That includes majorities of Republicans (70 percent), Democrats (57 percent) and independents (52 percent).

Views split 46-46 over whether the government is hiding information from the public about the Ebola virus that it should be sharing. Still, people are much more likely to believe Uncle Sam is withholding information about ISIS (60 percent say it is versus the 34 percent who say it isn’t).

Which poses a greater threat to Americans? Fifty percent of voters say ISIS, while 27 percent think it is Ebola. Another 18 percent say it’s the same. Both Democrats (+16 points) and Republicans (+35 points) are more likely to believe ISIS poses a bigger risk.

Concerns about these threats differ by race, as more white voters are concerned about ISIS than Ebola, while the opposite is true among black voters.

A 54 percent majority considers media coverage of the Ebola virus appropriate and “warning people of danger,” while 31 percent think it is sensational and “scaring people unnecessarily.”

Meanwhile, only five percent say they have changed travel plans because of Ebola. Still, that’s over 10 million people nationally.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,012 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from October 12-14, 2014. The full poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.