A Majority of Voters Back COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Measures to Protect High-Risk Americans
By Matthew Cortland
A majority of voters across the political spectrum strongly support science-based COVID-19 risk mitigation measures to protect high-risk Americans from the devastating health impacts of the coronavirus.
One quarter of American adults — 61 million people — and more than 3 million U.S. children live with a disability. Seventy percent of likely voters recognize that disabled Americans (including those who are immunocompromised, chronically ill, or who have preexisting health conditions) are still at high risk from COVID-19.
Many public health leaders, including Dr. Alondra Nelson, then-acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, have called for improving indoor air quality to reduce person-to-person transmission of COVID-19, which would mitigate the danger high-risk Americans continue to face.
New polling from Data for Progress finds voters support improving indoor air quality as a COVID-19 prevention measure.
Regulatory, or subregulatory, guidance issued under existing federal disability civil rights laws (including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, and the Rehabilitation Act) could make it clear that protecting disabled Americans from COVID-19 is a reasonable accommodation on the basis of disability. Dr. Nelson, who currently serves as OSTP Deputy Director for Science and Society, has already made the scientific case for improving indoor air quality through ventilation, air filtration, and air disinfection as an effective intervention to mitigate the risk of COVID-19.
We find likely voters agree — and strongly support federal action to require schools and workplaces to make improvements to indoor air quality to protect high-risk Americans from COVID-19. In fact, a bipartisan majority of Americans support federal action, under existing disability civil rights laws, requiring schools to improve indoor air quality (for example, by using air filters) to help protect higher-risk Americans from COVID-19. That support includes 74 percent of Independent voters and 62 percent of Republican voters.
Further analysis of Data for Progress’ recent poll suggests that, in fact, only MAGA extremists would oppose such a measure: Among far-right news viewers, 68 percent of Fox News viewers say they would support federal action to improve indoor air quality and protect higher-risk Americans. Among OANN or Newsmax viewers, a plurality of voters — 49 percent — say the same, while 45 percent oppose.
Importantly, similar trends apply to voters who are able to identify those currently most at risk of COVID-19. Seventy percent of likely voters understand that Americans who are disabled, immunocompromised, or elderly, or who have preexisting health conditions, are still at higher risk of getting very sick from the COVID-19 — including a majority of both Independents (68 percent) and Republicans (57 percent). Sixty percent of Fox viewers and 46 percent of OANN/Newsmax viewers acknowledge this reality.
Opposition to commonsense, science-based COVID-19 risk mitigation measures — like improving indoor air quality — is being driven by consumers of extremist news sources OANN and Newsmax. Only 27 percent of OANN/Newsmax viewers support air quality safety certifications for public buildings, compared to 42 percent of Republicans generally and 58 percent of all likely voters.
Matthew Cortland (@mattbc) is a senior resident fellow at Data for Progress.