Study suggests most Americans worried states are reopening too quickly

As many states take steps toward reopening their economies, a new Pew Research Center survey indicates the majority of Americans are worried about states lifting their coronavirus restrictions too quickly.

The results suggest 68% of Americans who suffered wage cuts or lost jobs as a result of the pandemic, along with 69% of Americans whose wages have not seen cuts, still back relatively strict mitigation efforts including shuttered nonessential businesses.

The study also indicated people who suffered wage losses as a result of the coronavirus were more likely than not to say their areas should embrace stronger restrictions.

One in five blamed the virus for their job loss.

The most agreement came on the subject of overall U.S. economy. Nine in 10 Americans surveyed believe the outbreak is a major threat to the country’s economy.

The Pew results came as the U.S. unemployment rate is 14.7%, the highest since the Great Depression.

People were surveyed from April 29 to May 5. The survey involved 10,957 people and has a margin of error of 1.4 percentage points.


More Coronavirus News

Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.

Jenny Glick

Jenny Glick joined WTOP as a fill-in anchor and reporter in June 2016. She previously worked as an Enterprise Reporter/Midday Anchor on WNEW in Washington.

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