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As the Omicron variant continues to spread across the U.S., scientists have warned that cloth masks are no longer effective at protecting Americans from the coronavirus. But new Data for Progress polling finds that a plurality of Americans – 39 percent – still wear cloth masks, even though 81 percent of Americans surveyed have correctly identified N95s to be the most effective mask to protect against the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, a strong majority of Americans have either had difficulty obtaining an N95, or have not attempted to get one at all.
With the omicron variant setting new coronavirus case records — and with the type of mask worn having a significant impact on the rate of transmission — it’s essential that the Biden administration does everything in its power to help Americans “mask up” in the most protective gear possible. Currently, the administration is weighing whether to offer high-quality masks — N95s and KN95s — to all Americans “for free or very low cost.” Our polling finds that American voters strongly support this proposal. By a +33-point margin, voters want the government to distribute free N95 masks to Americans. This includes 85 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Independents, and more than two in five Republicans.
Read the full analysis here.
Here are some other DFP highlights from over the past week:
A majority of Americans still support Build Back Better
Since November 2021, President Biden’s landmark social safety net legislation — which is still stalled on the Senate floor — has never dropped below 60 percent. Our latest polling with Invest in America finds BBBA is supported by 65 percent of likely voters, with a +36-point margin — a margin that holds even when the bill’s pay-fors are described. We also find that the bill remains widely popular even when arguments against its passage are introduced, and that once again, every provision of the legislation receives wide majority support. Investments in long-term care and the expansion of Medicaid continue to be the most popular provisions of Build Back Better, while the expansion of the Child Tax Credit carries a healthy +12-point margin of support.
Voters also believe that the urgency of passing the bill coincides with the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic; 57 percent of voters, including 60 percent of Independents, believe that rising coronavirus cases shouldn’t stall progress at passing the Build Back Better Act.
Read the full analysis here.
Redistricting is (Still) Going Relatively Well for Democrats
Data for Progress published an article in December predicting that the 2022 redistricting process will go fairly well for Democrats, all things considered — and this week, we’ve launched a log comparing our predictions to each official new map. So far, Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia’s maps have all become official and match our projections.
There are nine remaining states that still have undecided maps. Among these states, we project a favorable swing for Democrats — from 53 to 58 Democratic seats and from 76 to 71 Republican seats.
Take a closer look here.
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