A majority of voters support keeping the economy closed in order to contain the spread of coronavirus, according to a new poll.
As President Donald Trump begins planning how to reopen the economy, a poll conducted by POLITICO/Morning Consult shows eight in 10 voters support keeping social distancing measures in place to combat the spread of the virus, even if it means continued damage to the economy.
The poll indicates:
- 81% of voters surveyed say Americans should continue social distancing and mitigation efforts to curb the spread despite economic impacts.
- 10% of voters say Americans should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy, even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus.
- 89% of Democrats support continued social distances measures, which is more than 72% of support from Republicans.
“Public trust in the safety of interacting with other Americans is a necessary precondition for being able to reignite the U.S. economy,” John Leer, an economist for Morning Consult, told Politico. “If Americans believe that their eating at restaurants or spending time in an airport jeopardizes their safety, loosening restrictions on businesses is not a sustainable economic solution.”
A majority of people surveyed say they are more concerned about the public health impact of coronavirus than they are about the economic fallout in a ratio of more than 2 to 1. Seventy five percent say it’s more important for the government to address the spread of the virus while 17% say it’s more important for the government to manage the economy.
The poll shows voters are skeptical about returning to work, with 37% allowing some Americans to go back to work. A majority support taking significant precautions like wearing face masks or taking an antibody test if people are permitted to return to work.
The poll was conducted April 10-12 and surveyed 1,990 registered voters. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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