Most Americans say they are still uncomfortable with reopening the country after closures over the coronavirus pandemic, even while unemployment continues to grow, and they remain split on how they think President Donald Trump is handling both the health crisis and the economy, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll.
In the poll of 1,008 adults and 851 registered voters, conducted April 21-26, most respondents said it was a "bad idea" to return to most everyday activities:
- Students return to school: 14% good idea, 85% bad.
- Return to work: 32% good idea, 65% bad.
- Allow large groups at sporting events: 8% good idea, 91% bad.
- Open restaurants for dining in: 19% good idea, 80% bad.
Americans also said they're split on how Trump is handling the economy, with 50% saying they approve and 48% disapproving, marking little change since March, when businesses started to close.
In addition, 55% of Americans said they do not think Trump is doing a good job handling the coronavirus pandemic, but 49% said they think he is.
The numbers on Trump's economy ratings were split mainly along party lines:
- Democrats: 17% approve, 79% disapprove.
- Republicans: 93% approve, 7% disapprove.
- Independent: 51% approve, 46% disapprove.
Most Americans also said they approve of how their governors are handling the coronavirus response over how Trump has managed it, by 64% to 32%. On the economy, they picked their governor, by 54% over Trump, favored by 39%.
The poll carried a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points among the adults surveyed and 3.7 points among the registered voters.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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