FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 10th, 2020
Arizonans’ Concern Over COVID Lessens Even as Cases Rise
Majority approve of Ducey’s handling of the outbreak
PHOENIX(June 10th, 2020)- As the coronavirus cases spike in Arizona and hospital beds are quickly taken up by COVID-19 patients, concern among voters in the state has dropped since April.
According to the most recent AZPOP, even with the rise in COVID-19 cases, nearly 60 percent of voters remain concerned over the outbreak in Arizona.
“As voters have learned about the coronavirus and learned to cope with the potential dangers, they are less concerned than at the start of the outbreak,” said OHPI Chief of Research Mike Noble, “As the initial scare subsides, voters are growing accustomed to a new normal.”
The number of voters statewide who are most concerned about the Coronavirus dropped two points over the course of the last month – falling from 61 percent to 59 percent. This decrease is driven by a 2- and 10-point drop among Republicans and Independents, respectively.
However, there remains a sharp divide in opinion between voters of different political parties. Democrats remain very concerned about the pandemic. In fact, while other parties have relaxed since May, the share of Democrats who reported being extremely or moderately concerned increased 3 percent over the same period of time.
While the concern is easing across the state, voters in the state are turning their attention to the economy. More than three weeks after the end of Arizona’s stay-at-home order, almost half of voters are still concerned about relaxing the restrictions too soon and risking more infections while more than one-third are more concerned about the economic fallout of taking too long to reopen.
Voters of different genders have different priorities when it comes to easing restrictions and reopening the economy. Women are much likelier to be worried about reopening Arizona too soon, while men are more likely than women to be worried about taking too long.
Furthermore, while a majority (53 percent) of women are more concerned about increasing the spread of the Coronavirus, the same cannot be said for men. Just 45 percent of men are also more concerned about reopening too quickly than acting too slowly. The other 55 percent of men are either worried about taking too long to reopen the economy or are unsure.
Despite the spike in COVID-19 cases the state has seen and concern among voters that Arizona may be opening too quickly, Arizonans are still largely satisfied with Governor Doug Ducey’s handling of the outbreak. Nearly three-fifths of likely voters either strongly or somewhat approve of the job Ducey has been doing, while 37 percent disapprove.
There is virtually no difference between his approval in this poll and when the question was last asked in April. In the April AZPOP, 59 percent of Arizona voters approved of his actions regarding the Coronavirus, while 36 percent disapproved.
Even though the share of voters who strongly approve of Ducey’s handling of the outbreak fell by 5 points, the share of those who somewhat approve rose by an identical margin, leaving his overall approval rating unchanged.
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Methodology: This poll was conducted as a blended phone survey 40.5% Live Caller/ 59.5% IVR. The survey was completed by OH Predictive Insights from June 2nd to June 3rd, 2020 from an Arizona 2020 Likely Voter sample. The sample demographics were weighted to accurately reflect gender, region, age, party affiliation, ethnicity, and education level. The sample size was 600 completed surveys, with a MoE of ± 4.0%. Numbers may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Media Contacts: Mike Noble, OH Predictive Insights, m.noble@ohpredictive.com, (480) 313-1837
Haylye Plaster, OH Predictive Insights, h.plaster@ohpredictive.com, (602) 687-3034
About OH Predictive Insights: Phoenix-based OH Predictive Insights provides accurate polling, focus groups, data analytics, and advanced targeted marketing to political and non-political clients alike. With leading professionals in the advertising, communication, polling and political arenas, OH Predictive Insights will service political and non-political clients looking to improve their footing on key stakeholders and consumers. For more information, please call 602-362-5694 or submit a request online.