October 6, 2020: Fifty-five percent (55%) of voters now believe the worst of the pandemic is still to come. That’s an increase of seven points from a week ago. A Scott Rasmussen national survey also found that 24% believe the worst is behind us and 21% are not sure.[1]

Those results suggest an increase in pessimism following news that President Trump tested positive for COVID-19. The vast majority of interviews in the latest survey were conducted following release of that information.[1]

We have been tracking this question weekly for several months. During August, optimism was growing on this question. By early September, the number saying the worst was still to come had fallen below the 50% mark and it remained there until this week. Forty-four percent (44%) of Republicans now believe the worst is behind us. However, 72% of Democrats and 57% of independents believe the worst is still to come.[1]

The table below highlights selected results showing trends over the past few months.

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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