The best antidote to hot takes is hard data, and the latest Daily Kos/Civiqs poll is here with your cure. This survey of 1,327 adults was conducted online from June 1-3 and reveals that Americans’ disapproval of the way Donald Trump is handling the coronavirus response remains steady at 54%. A further 59% of Americans are extremely or somewhat worried that state reopenings will cause an increase in coronavirus cases, and 60% support their state’s stay-at-home orders. More than one in four Americans (27%) report that their household has been affected by layoffs, furloughs, or lost hours.
Other noteworthy findings in this month’s poll include:
- A whopping majority of Americans (76%) support the freezing of private student loan payments until stay-at-home orders are fully lifted.
- Most Americans (66%) also support freezing rent or mortgage payments until stay-at-home orders are lifted.
- Joe Biden bests Trump in a head-to-head matchup, 47-44%.
- A full quarter (25%) of Black Americans know someone who has died from coronavirus (vs. 11% overall).
- A staggering 12% of American adults have filed for unemployment over the past month.
Additional issues surveyed include faith in the accuracy of the official count of coronavirus deaths in the U.S., Trump’s favorability rating, and Fox News and MSNBC viewership.
This poll’s findings demonstrate that, while most Americans are worried that state reopenings will result in coronavirus spikes, their opinions split dramatically along party lines, with 90% of Democrats extremely or somewhat worried vs. just 25% of Republicans.
This month’s survey also provides strong evidence that frequent Fox News viewers are deeply disconnected from mainstream Americans. Contrary to widely-accepted analyses of excess mortality, fully 70% of frequent Fox News viewers believe that fewer people in the U.S. have died from the coronavirus than the official count—up from 61% just a month ago.
Civiqs is a survey research firm that conducts scientific public opinion polls on the internet through its nationally representative online survey panel. Founded in 2013, Civiqs specializes in political and public policy polling. Results from Civiqs’ daily tracking polls can be found online at civiqs.com.