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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 12, 2020
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
May 12, 2020: Sixty percent (60%) of voters nationwide believe every business that establishes safe social distancing protocols should be allowed to open. Just 26% oppose the idea.[1]
At first glance, these results from the latest Scott Rasmussen poll appear to contradict data suggesting ongoing public support for the lockdowns.
In fact, the very same poll found that only 23% of voters think government officials have gone too far in shutting things down. Seventy-one percent (71%) believe those officials have either not gone far enough (35%) or have found the right balance (36%).[1]
Digging a little deeper highlights the connections between these results.
- Not surprisingly, just about everyone who thinks the government has gone too far believes that businesses should be allowed to open with appropriate safety protocols.
- Among those who think the government response so far has been about right, 61% agree that all businesses should be allowed to re-open with safety protocols. Just 23% are opposed. The overall tone seems to be that the response has been okay so far and allowing businesses to open responsibly is the next logical step.
- The most surprising response comes from those who think the government has not gone far enough in shutting things down. On the question of allowing every business to re-open, they are evenly divided: 39% say yes while 45% do not.[1]
In my weekly column for the Deseret News, I note that it’s possible the confusion comes from the fact that “words like lockdown and shutdown [are] being used in the public dialogue almost interchangeably with social distancing and flattening the curve.”[1]
Whatever the explanation, the fact remains that only one out of four voters today is opposed to letting all businesses re-open in a responsible manner. But voters still expect a strong societal commitment to social distancing and appropriate health protocols.
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- May 11, 2020 –26% consider trade policies to be primarily a national security issue
- May 8, 2020 –66% of new COVID-19 hospital admissions in NY are people who stayed at home
- May 7, 2020 –5 million masks made by volunteers in Utah
- May 6, 2020 –3 trillion dollars to be borrowed by federal government in just three months
- May 5, 2020 –49% of voters now worry more about economic threat of coronavirus than health threat
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.
Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.
See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- Documenting America's Path to Recovery
- Debate over state lockdowns and stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- States with lockdown and stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
Footnotes
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