Even as states begin to reopen, a majority of U.S. residents oppose immediate measures—though such opposition is beginning to slide, and a crack along partisan lines is beginning to widen, according to new results of a national survey led by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Rutgers, and Northwestern universities.
The report, published Friday, represents the second set of results from a survey that began in mid-April, and illustrates changes in behavior and attitudes as the pandemic wears on.
Researchers surveyed more than 20,000 people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia between May 2 and May 15. They found that the vast majority (89 percent) of Americans oppose the immediate reopening of state economies—though the figure slid 5 percent from late April, when 94 percent of people opposed immediate reopening. And, though the figure still represents a majority of those surveyed, it masks a growing divide in attitudes between Republicans and Democrats in the country.
