Voters Equally Concerned by the Omicron Variant and Future Pandemics, Support Supplemental Pandemic Spending

Executive Summary

As part of a January 2022 national survey of 1,293 likely voters, Data for Progress and Guarding Against Pandemics conducted research into attitudes regarding concern about both the omicron variant of the coronavirus and future pandemic similar to or worse than the coronavirus pandemic. We also measured voter sentiment toward areas of the government’s public health response to the pandemic, a potential supplemental funding bill to combat the impacts of omicron, and a potential supplemental funding bill targeted both at combating omicron and preparing for future pandemics.

Overall, we find that voters are equally concerned by the national surge in coronavirus cases driven by omicron and by potential future pandemics similar to or worse than the ongoing one, are supportive of authorizing additional funding that combats omicron, and are even more supportive of authorizing funding that combats omicron and prepares for future pandemics.