Polling Shows Americans Are Concerned About Loosening Restrictions Too Quickly

Coronavirus Tracking Update: 

Despite the building economic pressure to reopen states, the majority of Americans continue to support stay at home restrictions. According to the latest numbers from the Firehouse Strategies and 0ptimus Analytics coronavirus tracking survey, 78% of Americans support current stay at home restrictions in their area.  Our numbers also show concern for the consequences of moving too quickly to reopen, with 72% of likely voters saying they are more concerned about loosening restrictions too quickly than too slowly. Details on these key findings and trendlines for today’s data points are presented below. Look out for updated numbers on Thursday on our website.

  • Even as states begin to open up, 78% of Americans support current stay at home restrictions in their area. Only 16% believe the restrictions are too strict compared to 30% who believe they aren’t strict enough, with 55% of Americans indicating that the restrictions are just about right.
  • When asked about loosening these current restrictions, 86% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans are more worried that loosening them too quickly will result in the virus spreading quicker.
  • Joe Biden continues to lead against Donald Trump in the general election ballot test by 5 point among likely voters (50% Biden – 45% Trump). He has maintained a 4-6 point lead in our tracking over the past two weeks.

“The majority of folks are in favor of restrictions in their area, but we are seeing some groups become more focused on the economy.”
– Scott Tranter, 0ptimus Analytics

Democrats and Republicans increasingly disagree on the pace of reopening.”
– Alex Conant, Firehouse Strategies