Despite good intentions, 41% of voters nationwide believe shutting down businesses and locking down society did more harm than good. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 51% disagree and 8% are not sure.
The implications of this finding were addressed in a Newsweek column by Scott Rasmussen. The column notes “As the economic trauma continues, those numbers are almost certain to shift and cast the initial lockdowns in an even less favorable light.”
Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans believe the lockdowns have done more harm than good. That view is shared by 36% of Independent voters and 27% of Democrats.
There is a racial divide on this question among Democrats. Overall, just 20% of white Democrats believe the lockdowns have done more harm than good. However, 38% of non-white Democrats believe that to be true.
Overall, 40% of white voters, 41% of black voters, and 42% of Hispanic voters believe the lockdowns have done more harm than good.
Other recent polling found that 52% agree with Ronald Reagan’s assessment: the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Those words continue to resonate with many Americans.
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The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from May 14-16, 2020. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online or by text while 238 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Certain quotas were applied, and the overall sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, 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.
