Plus, key things to know about election polling in the U.S.
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August 8, 2020
** Weekly Roundup
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The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ ([link removed])
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** Most Americans say state governments have lifted COVID-19 restrictions too quickly ([link removed])
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As a growing number of states grapple with a rise in coronavirus cases, 69% of Americans say their greater concern is that state governments have been lifting restrictions ([link removed]) on public activity too quickly; just 30% say their bigger concern is that states have been too slow to lift the restrictions. Also, 62% of Americans say the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak has been less effective when compared with other wealthy countries. On nearly all aspects of the outbreak, Republicans and Democrats have divergent opinions.
* Republicans, Democrats differ over factors K-12 schools should consider in deciding whether to reopen ([link removed])
* See all of our coronavirus research ([link removed])
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** Key things to know about election polling in the United States ([link removed])
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One way to help avoid a repeat of the skepticism about surveys that followed the last presidential election is to narrow the gap between perception and reality when it comes to how polling works ([link removed]) . A few highlights of our roundup: Estimates of the public’s views of candidates and major policies are generally trustworthy, but estimates of who will win the “horse race” are less so. And the problems with state polls in 2016 do not mean that polling overall is broken.
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** Coronavirus economic downturn has hit Latinos especially hard ([link removed])
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As the nation’s economy contracted at a record rate in recent months, the Hispanic unemployment rate rose sharply, particularly among Hispanic women, and remains higher among Hispanic workers ([link removed]) than U.S. workers overall. Yet even before the outbreak, Hispanics were concerned about their economic situation despite near record low levels of unemployment through the end of 2019.
** Americans oppose religious exemptions from coronavirus-related restrictions ([link removed])
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U.S. adults say houses of worship should be required to follow the same rules ([link removed]) about social distancing and large gatherings as other organizations or businesses in their local area; 79% take this position. Many Americans who regularly attend religious services express support for instituting restrictions and modifications at their own places of worship.
* Amid pandemic, Black and Hispanic worshippers more concerned about safety of in-person religious services ([link removed])
** Voters rarely switch parties, but recent shifts further educational, racial divergence ([link removed])
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Overwhelming majorities of both Republican and Democratic voters have retained their party affiliation ([link removed]) since 2018. In fact, just 9% in both parties have changed parties during this time. While individual-level change has not led to a significant net shift in the electorate's overall balance of party identification, that is not the case within demographic groups. For example, white college-educated voters have moved to the Democratic Party, while white voters without a college degree have moved to the GOP.
** A growing share of voters say it’s important to them to hear from the Trump and Biden campaigns ([link removed])
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** Many around the world were pessimistic about inequality even before pandemic ([link removed])
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** Outside the U.S., Floyd’s killing and protests sparked discussion on legislators’ Twitter accounts ([link removed])
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** From our research
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75% ([link removed])
The share of Americans who say insufficient social distancing and mask-wearing is a major reason ([link removed]) the coronavirus outbreak has continued in the U.S.
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