Poll: Americans most concerned with mental impact of social distancing

April 15 (UPI) -- Americans are most concerned about the state of their mental health as they await a lifting of social distancing guidelines, according to a Gallup poll Wednesday.

The survey found that 68 percent of Americans said they can continue following social distancing guidelines for "as long as necessary" before experiencing a decline in their physical health, while 54 percent said they could do so before experiencing financial difficulties. Forty-eight percent could continue before facing issues related to their mental health.

Fifteen percent said they're already facing declines in mental health, 6 percent reported physical health issues and 9 percent reported financial difficulties.

Americans aged 18-44 were more likely to say their emotional or mental health had already declined.

Gallup found that 70 percent 65 and older said they could continue social distancing for as long as possible without facing financial hardship, compared to 50 percent of those aged 18-44 and 47 percent of those aged 45-64.

Gallup polled nearly 8,000 people for the survey, which has a margin of error of 2 points.