E-Mail The COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has been characterized by rapidly changing information, a high degree of uncertainty, and conflicting information about transmission, vulnerability and mitigation methods. Several studies focused on public perceptions of the pandemic and the impact of media will be presented during two sessions on December 15, from 2:30-4:00 during the Society for Risk Analysis virtual Annual Meeting, December 13-17, 2020. In the first of a pair of studies on public attitudes about the pandemic, Zhuling Liu, University at Buffalo, examined Americans' support for various measures such as stay-at-home orders and the temporary closure of nonessential businesses. The study, "Public support for COVID-19 responses: Cultural cognition, risk perception, and emotions," focused on three factors: cultural cognition, emotions (such as fear and anger) and risk perception.