Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 6, 2021

Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day

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By Scott Rasmussen

The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

May 6, 2021: Thirty-three percent (33%) of voters nationwide say that they are very closely following news about the CDC guidelines for behavior during the pandemic. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that total includes 48% of Democrats, 29% of Republicans, and 20% of independent voters.

Among voters who have already been vaccinated or will be as soon as possible, 61% are following the news about the CDC guidelines very closely. Among all other voters, just 20% are paying that much attention to the CDC. That includes people who want to wait and see before getting vaccinated, those who are in no rush, and those who will never get vaccinated.

It's also interesting to note that there is little correlation between paying attention to the CDC and overall perceptions of the pandemic. Among voters who believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us, 33% are following news about the CDC guidelines very closely. Among those who believe the worst is yet to come, that figure is 36%. This suggests that people are basing their perceptions of the pandemic primarily on sources other than the CDC.

Overall, at this time, 50% of all voters believe the worst is behind us.

The fact that 33% are following news about the CDC guidelines very closely is generally consistent with the fact that 66% have recently engaged in behavior that the CDC officially discourages.

The survey also found that 46% of voters believe the CDC has generally provided reliable and fact-based guidelines during the pandemic. Thirty-eight percent (38%) believe it has generally acted in a partisan political manner, and 16% are not sure.

On this point, there is a wide partisan divide. By a 73% to 16% margin, Democrats believe the CDC guidance has been reliable and fact-based. Republicans, by a 60% to 27% margin, believe the CDC has generally been partisan and political. Independent voters are evenly divided.

Since the COVID-19 vaccines became available in January, there has been a roughly 80% decline in the number of reported cases and deaths from the virus. However, just 36% of voters nationwide are aware of the progress. This may reflect the fact that 87% of national media coverage about the pandemic has been negative. National media coverage in the United States has been far more negative than coverage in scientific journals and other nations.

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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.

• May 5, 2021 -36 percent of voters are aware of drop in COVID-19 cases since vaccine rollout
• May 4, 2021 -50 percent of voters believe worst of the pandemic is behind us
• May 3, 2021 -32 percent of media coverage about President Biden has been negative
• April 30, 2021 -66 House seats have left Northeast and Midwest since 1960
• April 29, 2021 -38 percent of voters fear the Biden administration will re-open society too quickly, 40 percent worry it will wait too long

• To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.

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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.

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See also

• Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine distribution by state
• Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for March 29, 2021