A majority of Americans think it’s more important to protect the health and safety of teachers and children by moving to remote learning than to keep schools open for in-person learning, a new poll showed.
In a Harris poll conducted for Axios, 56% of respondents said schools should move to remote learning to prevent COVID-19 exposure while 44% think it’s more important to have schools be open to avoid further interruptions in students’ education.
The survey of 2,093 taken between Jan. 7-9 also showed that:
—63% of adults making less than $50,000 a year favored a return to remote learning, while 58% of those making between $50,000 and $99,000, and 49% of those making $100,000 or more a year agreed.
— 37% of Republicans favored remote learning, as did 57% of independents and 70% of Democrats.
— More than 60% of those from their 20s to their 50s favored health and safety over in-person learning; 48% of respondents 57 and older agreed.
— Respondents of color were also more likely to prioritize health and safety than white respondents, although a majority of all races and ethnicities did so.
Axios did not report a margin of error for the survey answers.
The survey released Wednesday comes the same day children returned to classrooms in Chicago, where there was a heated debate with teachers worried about a return to in-person learning amid the surge of omicron variant infections.
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