Thirty-three percent (33%) of voters believe that, in responding to the pandemic, government officials have not gone far enough. However, a Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 20% believe they have gone too far. A plurality–41%–believe the balance has been about right.
These numbers reflect a significant shift since late March. At that time, 41% believed government officials had not gone far enough while just 14% believed they had gone too far.
Forty percent (40%) of Republicans believe the balance has been about right along with 43% of Democrats and 38% of Independents.
However, beneath that apparent common ground, there are significant partisan differences.
- Thirty-six percent (36%) of Republicans believe the government actions have gone to far while only 18% say not far enough.
- Democrats see it much differently–44% say not far enough while just 8% believe they have already gone too far.
- Among Independents, 34% say not far enough and 19% say too far.
Other data shows a similar trend as people are looking for actions that may loosen some of the restrictions. Fifty-one percent (51%) favor a proposal that would allow all who are not sick or vulnerable in their area to return to work. Thirty-eight percent (38%) are opposed, and 10% are not sure. That question was framed in the context of the area that the respondents lived in. These numbers are not a call for a national rule, but a recognition that different dynamics exist in different communities.
Currently, 23% of voters believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us, an increase of seven points over the past two weeks.
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The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from April 23-25, 2020. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online while 272 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Certain quotas were applied to the overall sample and lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.