DFP Coronavirus Response Tracking Poll Week 57

By Brian Schaffner Tufts University

Summary

With more than half of American adults now vaccinated and Covid infection rates continuing to fall, concern about the pandemic hit its lowest level for the second straight month. Just 19% of Americans now report that they are very worried about contracting coronavirus and just one-third say they are very concerned about the pandemic. By comparison, half of Americans reported that they were very concerned about the pandemic as recently as March of this year.

At the same time, we have seen a dramatic increase in satisfaction with the nation’s vaccination efforts. The percentage of Americans who say that the vaccines are being distributed too slowly has dropped significantly since early February; now, only 20% of Americans think that the distribution is happening too slowly. 60% of Americans say that the vaccine distribution is happening at about the right pace. The percentage of American adults who say they are unlikely to get vaccinated is also on a slow downward trajectory. Just 19% now say that they are very unlikely to get the vaccine with an additional 8% reporting that they are somewhat unlikely to do so.

The increasing optimism about the pandemic, the rising share of vaccinated adults, and the relaxing of restrictions in many states has also meant a clear reduction in social distancing. 31% of American adults now report that they are socializing in public places and only 57% say that they are avoiding physical contact with people. However, we have not yet seen a significant decrease in the percentage of Americans reporting that they are wearing masks in public places. (To examine trends in social distancing by different political and demographic groups, click here.)

With the American Rescue Plan now signed into law and attention shifting to President Biden’s American Jobs Plan, the public’s policy priorities appear to be shifting as well. For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, Americans are nearly equally divided in terms of whether they think the government response should mostly be focus on relief in the form of assistance to workers and small business versus a focus on investments in infrastructure to get Americans back to work. A majority of Americans currently support the American Jobs Plan, with support steady from last month’s wave.

On the back of a largely successful vaccine roll-out and the passage of the American Jobs Plan, Americans are giving President Biden high marks for his handling of the crisis. 59% of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of the pandemic while just 36% disapprove. Even one-in-five Trump voters say that they at least somewhat approve of Biden’s handling of the pandemic.

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.

Question wording: 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 have handled the coronavirus pandemic:”

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

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

Question wording: Was anyone you know who was diagnosed with coronavirus hospitalized? Did anyone you know who was diagnosed with coronavirus die?

Vaccination

Question wording: Do you think that the Covid-19 vaccines are being distributed…? Too quickly, Too slowly, At about the right pace.

Question wording: When you are eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, how likely are you to get the vaccination?

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.

Question wording (March 2021): Congress is now considering the American Rescue Plan Act. The bill would cost American taxpayers $1.9 trillion and would provide stimulus checks to qualifying individuals in the amount of $1,400. The bill would also provide funding to support Covid-19 vaccination programs, expanded unemployment insurance, businesses affected by the pandemic, and school re-opening efforts. Do you support or oppose this proposal?

Question wording (April 2021): The American Rescue Plan Act was recently signed into law. The bill will cost American taxpayers $1.9 trillion and will provide stimulus checks to qualifying individuals in the amount of $1,400. The bill will also provide funding to support Covid-19 vaccination programs, expanded unemployment insurance, businesses affected by the pandemic, and school re-opening efforts. Do you support or oppose this proposal?

Question wording: Congress is now considering the American Jobs Plan. The plan would cost American taxpayers $2 trillion and would focus on repairing roads and bridges, expanding internet service, repairing drinking water systems, and modernizing the nation’s electrical grid. The plan would be paid for, in part, by raising the corporate tax rate and the global minimum tax. Do you support or oppose the American Jobs Plan?

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 COVID-19 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 data are also weighted to match vote shares from the previous presidential election (2016 prior to November and 2020 after November). 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).