Large majorities of Americans support the measures — whether they’ve suffered financially or not.
For weeks, President Trump has insisted that the economy must reopen, hailing the states choosing to relax coronavirus restrictions “safely and quickly” and arguing that the United States is defeating the pandemic. Around the country, protesters are showing up — sometimes armed — at state capitols or around local businesses to oppose state and local shutdown and social distancing orders.
One narrative suggests that these protesters are motivated by economic worries. Protesters themselves have emphasized that they want to go back to work and said that they’re unhappy with the restriction because of money worries. Sympathizing with the protesters, Ezra Klein wrote that “the economic agony is real, and they have been given no way to imagine its end, no clear understanding of the purpose behind their sacrifice.”
But are those who are suffering financially opposed to the restrictions? Not according to new data from a Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape survey. Clear majorities of Americans support the restrictions — whether their wallets are pinched or not. Here’s what we found. Continue reading.