Coronavirus opinion by age, party and region

The tables presented here break down opinion concerning the coronavirus pandemic by three variables of particular interest: age, partisanship and region of the state. These variables are selected because of the greater risk of COVID-19 to older age groups, because partisan differences appear on some measures of response but not on others, and region of the state because of the geographic differences in spread of COVID-19 cases at this point.

In each section, we present the three crosstab tables in order, with no commentary on the results. The order of topics follows the order of the “topline” results reported in the press release.

School and business closures

“Do you think the decision to close schools and businesses, and to restrict the size of public gatherings is an appropriate response to the coronavirus outbreak or is it an overreaction that will do more harm than good?”

Table 1: School & business closures by age
Appropriate response Overreaction Don’t know
18-29 88 10 2
30-44 85 11 4
45-59 85 12 2
60+ 87 10 3
Table 2: School & business closures by party ID
Appropriate response Overreaction Don’t know
Rep 83 13 3
Lean Rep 75 20 6
Ind 79 19 2
Lean Dem 92 8 0
Dem 95 2 2
Table 3: School & business closures by region of the state
Appropriate response Overreaction Don’t know
MKE City 88 11 2
Rest of MKE 84 12 4
msn 90 9 1
GB/A 89 8 2
Rest of state 83 11 5

Direct cash payments

“Do you favor or oppose a plan for the federal government to send cash payments to each adult in order to offset the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak?”

Table 4: Direct cash payments by age
Strongly favor Somewhat favor Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Don’t know
18-29 56 28 4 4 8
30-44 58 21 14 6 1
45-59 49 30 8 8 4
60+ 47 30 10 5 6
Table 5: Direct cash payments by party ID
Strongly favor Somewhat favor Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Don’t know
Rep 39 34 12 10 5
Lean Rep 47 22 19 7 5
Ind 45 29 13 7 6
Lean Dem 58 29 5 3 4
Dem 64 25 4 3 4
Table 6: Direct cash payments by region of the state
Strongly favor Somewhat favor Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose Don’t know
MKE City 63 21 7 6 3
Rest of MKE 52 29 9 4 6
msn 45 31 10 9 5
GB/A 52 30 10 3 4
Rest of state 50 25 11 10 4

Approval of Evers’ handling coronavirus

“Do you approve or disapprove of the way Tony Evers is handling the coronavirus outbreak here in Wisconsin?”

Table 7: Evers coronavirus approval by age
Approve Disapprove Don’t know
18-29 77 15 8
30-44 74 15 9
45-59 76 20 3
60+ 76 15 10
Table 8: Evers coronavirus approval by party ID
Approve Disapprove Don’t know
Rep 63 27 9
Lean Rep 68 24 8
Ind 74 17 9
Lean Dem 83 9 7
Dem 89 7 4
Table 9: Evers coronavirus approval by region of the state
Approve Disapprove Don’t know
MKE City 77 20 2
Rest of MKE 68 22 9
msn 87 9 4
GB/A 84 11 4
Rest of state 69 19 11

Approval of Trump’s handling coronavirus

“Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling the coronavirus outbreak?”

Table 10: Trump coronavirus approval by age
Approve Disapprove Don’t know
18-29 45 54 1
30-44 47 47 5
45-59 54 45 1
60+ 54 43 3
Table 11: Trump coronavirus approval by party ID
Approve Disapprove Don’t know
Rep 88 10 1
Lean Rep 90 8 1
Ind 59 39 2
Lean Dem 16 79 4
Dem 11 86 2
Table 12: Trump coronavirus approval by region of the state
Approve Disapprove Don’t know
MKE City 33 62 6
Rest of MKE 60 38 1
msn 40 59 1
GB/A 48 50 2
Rest of state 57 38 4

Lost job or laid off

“Has the coronavirus outbreak caused you or anyone in your family to lose a job or be laid-off?”

Table 13: Lost job or laid off by age
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
18-29 2 18 12 66 2
30-44 4 25 8 62 1
45-59 6 23 6 64 0
60+ 3 19 1 76 0
Table 14: Lost job or laid off by party ID
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
Rep 2 20 4 74 0
Lean Rep 5 29 4 61 1
Ind 5 26 0 65 2
Lean Dem 5 26 9 60 0
Dem 5 16 7 71 1
Table 15: Lost job or laid off by region of the state
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
MKE City 3 20 11 65 0
Rest of MKE 4 23 3 70 0
msn 2 12 11 74 2
GB/A 6 21 3 68 1
Rest of state 4 28 5 62 1

Work hours reduced

“Has the coronavirus outbreak caused you or anyone in your family to have hours reduced at work?”

Table 13: Work hours reduced by age
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
18-29 12 35 22 31 0
30-44 14 27 16 43 1
45-59 10 31 12 46 0
60+ 7 26 7 60 1
Table 14: Work hours reduced by party ID
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
Rep 6 24 13 56 1
Lean Rep 9 32 14 45 0
Ind 17 32 7 40 1
Lean Dem 9 34 10 46 0
Dem 13 29 13 45 1
Table 15: Work hours reduced by region of the state
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
MKE City 10 27 20 43 1
Rest of MKE 10 28 11 51 1
msn 8 26 17 49 0
GB/A 16 24 11 46 2
Rest of state 7 37 10 46 0

Had to work from home

“Has the coronavirus outbreak caused you or anyone in your family to be required to work from home?”

Table 16: Had to work from home by age
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
18-29 13 26 23 39 0
30-44 19 25 17 38 0
45-59 17 25 18 40 0
60+ 4 39 5 51 1
Table 17: Had to work from home by party ID
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
Rep 12 28 12 47 1
Lean Rep 8 40 11 39 1
Ind 17 20 13 49 0
Lean Dem 12 23 14 50 0
Dem 14 31 17 38 1
Table 18: Had to work from home by region of the state
Respondent Someone in family Both No, has not happened to anyone in family Don’t know
MKE City 23 28 19 29 1
Rest of MKE 10 32 15 41 1
msn 14 30 16 40 1
GB/A 13 25 15 46 1
Rest of state 9 31 10 50 0

Life disrupted

“How much, if at all, has your life been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak?”

Table 19: Life disrupted by age
A lot Some Just a little Not at all
18-29 59 29 8 5
30-44 57 27 14 1
45-59 63 24 10 3
60+ 50 32 15 4
Table 20: Life disrupted by party ID
A lot Some Just a little Not at all
Rep 49 32 16 3
Lean Rep 49 34 14 3
Ind 68 15 6 11
Lean Dem 53 28 14 5
Dem 68 24 7 1
Table 21: Life disrupted by region of the state
A lot Some Just a little Not at all Don’t know
MKE City 66 18 10 6 0
Rest of MKE 57 29 11 3 0
msn 65 26 5 3 0
GB/A 58 27 12 3 0
Rest of state 46 32 19 3 1

Following coronovirus news

“How closely are you following the news about coronavirus?”

Table 22: Following coronavirus news by age
Very closely Somewhat closely Not very closely Not following at all
18-29 56 39 4 2
30-44 73 26 1 0
45-59 81 18 0 0
60+ 83 16 1 1
Table 23: Following coronavirus news by party ID
Very closely Somewhat closely Not very closely Not following at all
Rep 74 25 1 0
Lean Rep 65 32 3 1
Ind 72 24 0 4
Lean Dem 74 23 1 1
Dem 87 13 0 0
Table 24: Following coronavirus news by region of the state
Very closely Somewhat closely Not very closely Not following at all
MKE City 73 19 5 3
Rest of MKE 83 16 0 0
msn 73 26 1 0
GB/A 78 20 2 1
Rest of state 70 29 1 0

Concern about coronavirus in US

“How concerned are you about a coronavirus epidemic here in the United States?”

Table 25: Concerned about coronavirus in US by age
Very concerned Somewhat concerned Not very concerned Not concerned at all Don’t know
18-29 52 34 9 5 0
30-44 66 25 5 2 2
45-59 66 28 5 1 0
60+ 76 20 3 1 0
Table 26: Concerned about coronavirus in US by party ID
Very concerned Somewhat concerned Not very concerned Not concerned at all Don’t know
Rep 56 34 8 3 0
Lean Rep 43 44 8 3 2
Ind 74 18 4 4 0
Lean Dem 75 21 3 1 0
Dem 87 12 1 0 0
Table 27: Concerned about coronavirus in US by region of the state
Very concerned Somewhat concerned Not very concerned Not concerned at all Don’t know
MKE City 80 12 4 4 0
Rest of MKE 66 25 6 2 1
msn 70 25 4 0 0
GB/A 73 21 6 0 0
Rest of state 60 35 3 2 0

Worried about contracting coronavirus

“Taking into consideration both your risk of contracting it and the seriousness of the illness, how worried are you personally about experiencing coronavirus?”

Table 28: Worried about contracting coronavirus by age
Very worried Somewhat worried Not very worried Not worried at all Don’t know
18-29 20 40 22 18 0
30-44 29 43 13 14 0
45-59 32 38 22 8 1
60+ 33 41 17 9 0
Table 29: Worried about contracting coronavirus by party ID
Very worried Somewhat worried Not very worried Not worried at all Don’t know
Rep 28 36 20 17 0
Lean Rep 12 38 34 15 1
Ind 29 38 20 12 0
Lean Dem 32 47 15 6 0
Dem 44 42 10 4 0
Table 30: Worried about contracting coronavirus by region of the state
Very worried Somewhat worried Not very worried Not worried at all Don’t know
MKE City 48 26 15 11 0
Rest of MKE 24 49 17 10 0
msn 36 40 16 8 0
GB/A 35 37 18 11 0
Rest of state 25 36 23 14 2

When return to normal

“When do you think the coronavirus outbreak will be under control and things can get back to normal?”

Table 31: When return to normal by age
By the end of May By the end of August Sometime next fall About a year from now More than a year from now Don’t know
18-29 44 25 15 6 3 7
30-44 35 30 15 10 2 8
45-59 50 24 10 6 2 6
60+ 43 29 9 6 2 10
Table 32: When return to normal by party ID
By the end of May By the end of August Sometime next fall About a year from now More than a year from now Don’t know
Rep 58 22 9 4 0 7
Lean Rep 59 19 11 2 3 6
Ind 42 24 7 11 5 5
Lean Dem 30 33 14 10 3 10
Dem 30 35 13 10 2 10
Table 33: When return to normal by region of the state
By the end of May By the end of August Sometime next fall About a year from now More than a year from now Don’t know
MKE City 32 31 10 17 3 8
Rest of MKE 46 27 10 8 2 6
msn 39 32 10 8 4 7
GB/A 46 28 12 5 2 8
Rest of state 48 21 14 3 0 11

Democratic convention meet as planned

“As you may know, the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to meet in Milwaukee in July. Given the coronavirus outbreak, do you think the convention should meet as planned in Milwaukee or should it not be held as an in-person event?”

Table 34: Democratic convention meet as planned by age
Should meet Should not be held as an in-person event Don’t know
18-29 22 68 9
30-44 16 67 16
45-59 25 61 13
60+ 23 57 18
Table 35: Democratic convention meet as planned by party ID
Should meet Should not be held as an in-person event Don’t know
Rep 26 55 17
Lean Rep 28 61 11
Ind 25 54 21
Lean Dem 20 68 11
Dem 16 69 15
Table 36: Democratic convention meet as planned by region of the state
Should meet Should not be held as an in-person event Don’t know
MKE City 30 59 11
Rest of MKE 24 57 18
msn 19 67 13
GB/A 20 64 14
Rest of state 21 63 14

Move April 7 election

“Some states moved their elections to later in the year. Do you think Wisconsin should move the April 7 election or should the state keep it on April 7?”

Table 37: Move April 7 election by age
Should move Should keep it on April 7 Don’t know
18-29 55 42 3
30-44 47 43 11
45-59 55 42 3
60+ 47 48 4
Table 38: Move April 7 election by party ID
Should move Should keep it on April 7 Don’t know
Rep 51 45 4
Lean Rep 40 50 9
Ind 54 44 2
Lean Dem 53 47 1
Dem 55 40 5
Table 39: Move April 7 election by region of the state
Should move Should keep it on April 7 Don’t know
MKE City 57 41 2
Rest of MKE 50 43 7
msn 49 49 2
GB/A 56 41 2
Rest of state 46 46 8

About the Marquette Law School Poll

The Marquette Law School Poll is the most extensive statewide polling project in Wisconsin history. This poll interviewed 813 registered Wisconsin voters by landline or cell phone from March 24-29, 2020. The margin of error is +/-4.2 percentage points for the full sample.

The Democratic presidential candidate preference items were asked of those who said they would vote in the Democratic primary. That sample size is 394 with a margin of error of +/-5.9 percentage points. The margin of error for those Democratic primary voters who say they are absolutely certain to vote or have already voted is +/-6.6 percentage points based on 315 cases.

The partisan makeup of the sample, including those who lean to a party, is 46 percent Republican, 46 percent Democratic and 7 percent independent. The partisan makeup of the sample, excluding those who lean to a party, is 29 percent Republican, 31 percent Democratic and 39 percent independent.

Since January 2017, the long-term partisan balance, including those who lean to a party, in the Marquette poll has been 45 percent Republican and 45 percent Democratic, with 9 percent independent. Partisanship exluding those who lean has been 30 percent Republican and 29 percent Democratic, with 40 percent independent.

The entire questionnaire, methodology statement, full results and breakdowns by demographic groups are available at law.marquette.edu/poll/results-and-data

###

news.marquette.edu | twitter.com/MarquetteMedia