May 20, 2020: Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters believe the worst of the pandemic is still to come. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that just 17% believe the worst is now behind us.^[1]

That's a more pessimistic assessment than voters offered at the end of April. At that time, just 49% believed the worst was still to come while 23% thought it had come and gone.

Sixty-six percent (66%) of Democrats believe the worst is still to come, as do 60% of Independents. However, Republicans are fairly evenly divided—39% say the worst is still to come while 32% believe it is behind us.^[1]

Still, while recognizing the difficulties that lie ahead, polling data shows that voters are ready to re-open society.^[2] Most are ready to resume visiting their favorite restaurants, salons, and churches. Sixty percent (60%) of voters nationwide believe every business that establishes safe social distancing protocols should be allowed to open. Just 26% are opposed.

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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day 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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