Fifty percent (50%) of voters now believe that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. That’s up nine points from two weeks ago and reflects the highest level of confidence yet measured.
A Ballotpedia national survey found that 24% of voters disagree and believe the worst is yet to come. Twenty-six percent (26%) are not sure.
Those figures highlight a significant improvement over the past two weeks . In mid-April, just 41% thought the worst was behind us and 32% held the opposite view.
Public confidence about the pandemic has resembled a roller-coaster ride.
- Following the election last fall, confidence fell sharply. In late November, 68% believed that the worst was still to come. However, following the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, confidence surged.
- By late January, 33% of voters believed the worst of the pandemic was behind us, while 40% believed the worst was still to come.
- Then, in mid-February, for the first time ever, a plurality of voters believed that the worst was behind us. At that point, 39% took the optimistic view while 31% gave a more pessimistic answer.
- After that surge, the trend of growing confidence appeared to stall. From mid-February to mid-April, there was little change in public confidence.
Throughout the pandemic, there has been a vast partisan perception gap. That remains the case today. By a 60% to 18% margin, Republicans believe the worst is behind us. A solid plurality (46% to 24%) of Independents agree. Democrats are somewhat less convinced. Forty-three percent (43%) of those in President Biden’s party believe the worst is behind us while 31% believe it is yet to come.
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Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left more than seven years ago and has had no involvement since that time.
Methodology
The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Scott Rasmussen using a mixed mode approach from April 29-May 1, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Most respondents were contacted online or via text while 241 were contacted using automated phone polling techniques. Online respondents were selected from a list of Registered Voters and through a process of Random Digital Engagement. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, 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.
