DFP Coronavirus Response Tracking Poll Week 26

By Brian Schaffner Tufts University

Summary

After a week in which President Trump was hospitalized due to the coronavirus, worry and concern about the virus among Americans is at its highest point since April. 39% say they are “very worried” about experiencing coronavirus with an additional 33% saying they are “somewhat worried.” Just one-in-ten Americans report that they are not at all worried about experiencing the virus. General concern about the pandemic is also higher than it has been in months, with 3-in-5 Americans reporting that they are very concerned about the epidemic. Despite the White House’s attempts to downplay the coronavirus, just 13% of Americans say that they are not worried about the pandemic.

At the same time as Americans are expressing more worry about the coronavirus, they also increasingly approve of how Joe Biden is handling the pandemic. 55% of Americans now approve of Biden’s handling of the pandemic, compared to just 37% who disapprove. By contrast, just 41% approve of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, while 56% disapprove (45% strongly disapprove).

It is becoming increasingly common for Americans to know someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus. Nearly half of Americans can now think of a friend, family member, or co-worker who has contracted coronavirus. 15% of respondents say they know someone who has died from the coronavirus. Most Americans continue to follow social distancing guidelines – over 90% report wearing a mask in public places. Even while President Trump mocked Biden’s adherence to mask guidelines during the first presidential debate, still 90% of Republicans in our sample report wearing masks in public places (96% of Democrats say they wear masks).

Finally, Americans continue to express a strong preference for additional relief from the health and economic impacts of the pandemic. President Trump announced that he was ending negotiations over a new relief package until after the election and that he wanted the Senate to prioritize confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court instead. Yet, two-thirds of Americans think these priorities are backwards. 67% say that the Senate’s top priority should be “passing new legislation to deal with the economic and health impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic,” while just 21% think the Senate should be more focused on “confirming a justice to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court.” Even among Republicans in our sample, coronavirus relief is a priority – 53% prefer that the Senate prioritize coronavirus relief while just 37% think the confirmation should be the priority. And the HEROES Act, which was passed by the House, continues to be very popular – just 10% say they oppose the legislation with 83% in support.

Worry/Concern about coronavirus

The graph below tracks the percentage of Americans who say that they are very worried about personally experiencing coronavirus and those who are very concerned in general about the coronavirus pandemic.

Taking into consideration both your risk of contracting it and the seriousness of the illness, how worried are you personally about experiencing coronavirus (COVID-19)?

How concerned are you about a coronavirus epidemic here in the United States?

Approval on handling of coronavirus pandemic

The graph below shows net approval – the percent who strongly or somewhat approve of how Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and the CDC are handling the coronavirus pandemic minus the percent who strongly or somewhat disapprove.

Question wording: “For each person or group, say whether you approve or disapprove of the way they are handling the coronavirus pandemic:”

Which level of government do you trust more to handle the Coronavirus pandemic: The [R’s state] state government or the federal government?

Changes in job status

Here we track responses to a question asking respondents how their work has changed since March 1st of this year. Only respondents who are in the work force are included in the chart below.

Since March 1st of this year, has your work changed? Yes, my hours have been reduced. Yes, I lost my job.

Personal experience with coronavirus

Question wording: Do you, personally, know someone who has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus? (Select all that apply)

Yes, a family member

Yes, a friend

Yes, a co-worker

Social Distancing

Question wording: Which of the following best describes your current behavior?

I am socializing in public places

I am not going to public places, but I am socializing with friends or family in my or their homes

I am not going to public places, but I am socializing with friends or family virtually

I am not going to public places nor am I socializing with family or friends

Question wording: Which, if any, of the following measures have you taken during the past two weeks to protect yourself from coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Wore a face mask when in public places

Avoided crowded public places

Avoided physical contact with people

Government response to Coronavirus

In this section, we show how Americans are evaluating what the government has done to address the Coronavirus pandemic and how much they still want the government to do.

During the next few months, what should the Senate’s top priority be?

Passing new legislation to deal with the economic and health impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic

Confirming a justice to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court

Not sure

Question wording: Based on what you have heard, do you support the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” or CARES Act?

Question wording: Congress is now considering the HEROES Act, which would spend an additional $3 trillion, including $1 trillion for state and local governments and hospitals, $200 billion in hazard pay for essential workers, and would give households a additional stimulus payments ranging from $1,200 to $6,000. Do you support or oppose this legislation?

Question wording: The expanded unemployment insurance provision that Congress passed as part of coronavirus relief expired on July 31st. Would you support or oppose extending this unemployment insurance expansion until the unemployment rate falls to where it was before the coronavirus pandemic?

Question wording: Which comes closer to your view?

The government needs to spend more to address the coronavirus pandemic, even if it means increasing the national debt and deficit

The government has spent enough to address the coronavirus pandemic and should not do anything else to increase the national debt and deficit

The government has spent too much to address the coronavirus pandemic and should cut spending to reduce the national debt and deficit

Question wording: Would you support or oppose the following provisions in a future legislative package to address the coronavirus pandemic:

General scope of government

Here we track Americans views on the scope of government.

Question 1 wording: Some people think the government should provide fewer services even in areas such as health and education in order to reduce spending. Suppose these people are at one end of a scale. Other people feel it is important for the government to provide many more services even if it means an increase in spending. Suppose these people are at the other end. Where would you place yourself on this scale? 1=Provide fewer services. 7=Provide many more services.

Question 2 wording: Some people feel the government in Washington should see to it that every person has a job and a good standard of living. Suppose these people are at one end of a scale. Others think the government should just let each person get ahead on their own. Suppose these people are at the other end. Where would you place yourself on this scale? 1=Govt should let each person get ahead on own. 7=Govt should see to jobs and standard of living.

Question wording: Do you think that the government response right now should mostly be focused on: Relief in the form of assistance to workers and small business OR Investments in new infrastructure to get Americans back to work.

Methodology

The Data for Progress Coronavirus tracking poll is fielded each week using respondents recruited via Lucid. Post-stratification weights are implemented to make each week’s sample nationally representative of American adults by gender, age, region, education, race, and the interaction of education and race. The margin of error for each week’s survey is approximately ± 4 percentage points (this is a conservative estimate and will vary slightly depending on the exact sample size and design effect each week).

Full Toplines and Crosstabs

A document showing toplines by survey wave for each question can be found here.

Crosstabs for each week’s poll can be found at the links below: