May 12, 2020: Sixty percent (60%) of voters nationwide believe every business that establishes safe social distancing protocols should be allowed to open. Just 26% oppose the idea.[1]
At first glance, these results from the latest Scott Rasmussen poll appear to contradict data suggesting ongoing public support for the lockdowns.
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]
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]
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]
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.
|
