The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading worldwide and a study found that front-line medical staff reported high levels of perceived stress during this pandemic. However, some findings indicated that the general public had more psychological problems than front-line medical staff. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate perceived stress levels and to identify possible stressors affecting the general public in China during the severe stage of COVID-19 pandemic.

An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted online from February 18 to25, 2020, with 1921 Chinese people aged 18–68years (M=29.28, SD=10.66).

Most participants reported low to mild perceived stress levels. Moreover, social stressors (e.g., disruption of normal life), rather than physical (e.g., burdened work) or psychological stressors (e.g., worried about self-infection) were the most frequently reported stressors of the general public.

In summary, our findings addressed an ongoing relevant situation affecting nations, communities, and individuals worldwide, and provided suggestions to regulate the perceived stress in the general public.