Are 38 Percent of Americans Avoiding Corona Beer Because of the Coronavirus?

The internet was abuzz Friday over a survey purporting to show that 38 percent of Americans would not buy Corona beer “under any circumstances” because of the coronavirus.

“There is no question that Corona beer is suffering because of the coronavirus,” said Ronn Torossian, CEO of the public relations firm—5WPR—that conducted the poll. “While the brand has claimed that consumers understand there’s no linkage between the virus and the beer company, this is a disaster for the Corona brand. After all, what brand wants to be linked to a virus which is killing people worldwide?”

Not long after the press release was sent, major news outlets started amplifying the alleged findings, and amateur Twitter pundits started spinning the results: