Strong Support for Holding CCP Accountable for COVID-19: Epoch Readers’ Poll

The survey shows overwhelming backing for economic penalties, sanctions, and asset seizures of Chinese-owned land, businesses, and real estate in America.

A new Epoch Times poll reveals near-unanimous support for holding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for its mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic—a crisis that triggered global lockdowns, economic ruin, and millions of deaths.

Based on 12,592 responses, the survey shows overwhelming backing for economic penalties, trade sanctions, and asset seizures to punish the CCP for suppressing early virus data and worsening the outbreak.

Readers also strongly favor continued investigations into COVID-19’s murky origins, a subject still shrouded in uncertainty due to persistent Chinese obstruction.

Skepticism toward the CCP remains high, with the vast majority of respondents convinced that the Chinese regime knew about human-to-human transmission long before admitting it.

Beyond the structured poll results, thousands of respondents submitted write-in responses, making clear that demands for accountability extend beyond China to include U.S. officials and global institutions that played a role in a pandemic response that many believe was botched.

Missouri’s Landmark Ruling Against the CCP

On March 7, a Missouri judge delivered a historic ruling, holding the CCP liable for more than $24 billion in damages for exacerbating the harms of the COVID-19 pandemic by hoarding medical supplies and obstructing U.S. access to critical personal protective equipment (PPE).

The default judgment, issued by District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr., follows evidence that China stockpiled PPE in late 2019 while downplaying the severity of the virus, causing shortages and inflated costs—amplifying the crisis.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey called the ruling a “landmark victory” and suggested that it could set a precedent for further legal action against the CCP. Yet enforcement remains a hurdle, with critics noting that collecting such a massive penalty from a regime that rejects blame is improbable.

Despite the challenges of enforcement, Epoch Times poll respondents strongly support the ruling. An overwhelming 92 percent of respondents agree that the judge’s decision to hold the CCP liable is justified, including 82 percent who strongly agree.

Support for seizing Chinese-owned assets in the United States to enforce the judgment is also high, with 87 percent in favor, including 76 percent who strongly agree.

The Missouri judgment also references a 2021 State Department fact sheet, which states that the CCP devoted “enormous resources to deceit and disinformation” to conceal COVID-19’s origins and obscure its role in the outbreak.

An epidemic control worker wears PPE to protect against the spread of COVID-19 as he places a barricade on a road after allowing an ambulance to enter a government quarantine facility in Beijing, China, on Dec. 7, 2022. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

The Murky Origins of COVID-19

To this day, the pandemic’s beginnings remain unresolved, fueling reader demands for answers. In early 2020, The Epoch Times reported that CCP officials knew of the outbreak in 2019 but unleashed their censorship machine to stifle information.

Though China insists the virus emerged naturally, mounting evidence suggests otherwise. German intelligence, as recently reported by German media, estimated an 80–90 percent likelihood of an accidental leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a Chinese laboratory that conducts virus research, including gain-of-function research—experiments that enhance a pathogen’s lethality or transmissibility.

The CIA, FBI, and U.S. Energy Department have similarly leaned toward the lab-leak theory.

A December 2024 report from the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic added weight, revealing that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab via EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and using taxpayer dollars.

Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield has asserted there’s “no doubt” the NIH backed such work, while Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Dr. Francis Collins, former NIH director, have both denied the claims. Meanwhile, previous reporting suggests that Fauci and Collins may have “played semantics” with the definition of gain-of-function to avoid conceding that NIH funded this type of activity, which many scientists consider risky or outright dangerous.

Leaked Chinese documents obtained by The Epoch Times show that Chinese hospitals were treating patients with COVID-19-like symptoms months before the regime’s official outbreak timeline suggests. A State Department fact sheet from the first Trump administration noted that Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers fell ill with COVID-19-like symptoms in autumn 2019, long before China acknowledged human-to-human transmission.

Despite mounting evidence, Chinese officials continue to double down and deny the possibility of a lab origin for the virus. On March 13, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning dismissed recent reports of German intelligence findings, insisting that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely.”

However, readers of The Epoch Times find the CCP’s denials unpersuasive. Ninety-six percent of respondents believe the Chinese regime knew about human-to-human transmission earlier than it admitted, including 90 percent who strongly believe this is the case.

An aerial view shows the P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province, on April 17, 2020. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese regime’s opacity has also eroded institutional trust. The poll found 95 percent of respondents say official uncertainty over COVID-19’s origins has undermined faith in institutions such as the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, 88 percent demand ongoing U.S. investigations into the origins of the pandemic—76 percent strongly—a priority echoed by new CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who, upon Senate confirmation, pledged to tackle the issue from “day one.”

Opinions are more divided on whether the United States is better prepared for another pandemic than it was in 2020. Thirty-eight percent believe the country is more prepared, while an equal 38 percent remain neutral. Twenty-four percent disagree, signaling concerns that lessons haven’t been learned.

Readers’ Call for Action

Beyond the structured poll responses, more than 7,550 write-in responses were submitted, providing a broader picture of reader concern—and the demand for accountability.

The most common theme—voiced 2,366 times—is a strong belief that the the CCP should be held accountable for its actions during the pandemic, though many respondents are unsure of the most effective method of enforcement.

A significant number—1,006 mentions—specifically demanded economic penalties, trade sanctions, and financial reparations. Recognizing that the Chinese regime is unlikely to voluntarily pay damages, many respondents suggested alternative measures, such as debt cancellation, increased tariffs, or full trade embargoes. Some also advocated for China’s removal from global organizations as a form of diplomatic punishment.

The seizure of Chinese-owned land, businesses, and real estate—particularly farmland and properties near military bases—was another widely supported measure, mentioned 1,000 times. Many respondents saw this as both a punitive measure and a national security safeguard. Additionally, there was strong support for banning future Chinese investments in the United States to curb CCP economic influence.

Criticism extended beyond the CCP itself, with 551 write-in responses singling out Fauci, accusing him of misleading the public and funding risky gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab. Many respondents called for his criminal prosecution, congressional investigations—even Nuremberg-style trials. Similarly, pharmaceutical companies were blamed for profiting from vaccine mandates and allegedly suppressing alternative treatments, with calls for financial penalties or legal action.

Dr. Anthony Fauci arrives for a Senate committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 11, 2022. Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

Overall, economic retaliation for the CCP’s mishandling of the pandemic emerged as the dominant solution, with some proposing a COVID-specific tariff designed to offset the harm. A number of respondents supported direct financial compensation from China, though most acknowledged the difficulty of enforcing that.

Whether through economic sanctions, asset seizures, or further investigations, Epoch Times poll respondents say accountability is not optional. The overwhelming consensus is that the CCP—as well as U.S. officials and global institutions—must answer for their roles in the pandemic.