MAY 12, 2020: Sixty percent (60%) of voters nationwide believe every business that establishes safe social distancing protocols should be allowed to open ([link removed]) . Just 26% oppose the idea.[1] ([link removed])
At first glance, these results from the latest Scott Rasmussen ([link removed]) poll appear to contradict data suggesting ongoing public support for the lockdowns ([link removed]) .
In fact, the very same poll found that only 23% of voters think government officials have gone too far in shutting things down. Seventy-one percent (71%) believe those officials have either not gone far enough (35%) or have found the right balance (36%).[1] ([link removed])
Digging a little deeper highlights the connections between these results.
* Not surprisingly, just about everyone who thinks the government has gone too far believes that businesses should be allowed to open with appropriate safety protocols.
* Among those who think the government response so far has been about right, 61% agree that all businesses should be allowed to re-open with safety protocols. Just 23% are opposed. The overall tone seems to be that the response has been okay so far and allowing businesses to open responsibly is the next logical step.
* The most surprising response comes from those who think the government has not gone far enough in shutting things down. On the question of allowing every business to re-open, they are evenly divided: 39% say yes while 45% do not.[1] ([link removed])
In my weekly column for the _Deseret News_, I note that it’s possible the confusion comes from the fact that “words like lockdown and shutdown [are] being used in the public dialogue almost interchangeably with social distancing and flattening the curve.”[1] ([link removed])
Whatever the explanation, the fact remains that only one out of four voters today is opposed to letting all businesses re-open in a responsible manner. But voters still expect a strong societal commitment to social distancing and appropriate health protocols.
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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day ([link removed]) explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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_Scott Rasmussen is an editor-at-large for Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics. He is a senior fellow for the study of self-governance at the King’s College in New York. His most recent book, ** Politics Has Failed: America Will Not ([link removed])
** , ([link removed])
was published by the Sutherland Institute in August 2018._
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