Michigan voters favor Whitmer, while many believe the COVID threat is minimized

The results of a survey of Michigan voters in early December suggest that many residents in the state are concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has been minimized.

The poll also suggests strong support for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: 63.3% of Michigan voters believe Whitmer is working aggressively to control the pandemic and protect public health, according to the survey results.

The Detroit Regional Chamber (DRC) said it conducted this state survey of 600 Michigan registered voters between November 30 and December 4, 2020.

The Democratic Republic of Congo said in a press release on Monday that “the results of the survey show remarkable stability in the severity of Michiganders viruses and their concern about the economic consequences of prolonged shutdowns.”

See similar DRC survey results April right here.

On the pandemic as a threat to public health:

• Most Michigan voters believe the pandemic situation is worse in Michigan than in April; 82.7% of Michigan residents believe the situation is the same or worse than April.
• 60.3% believe that the threat of COVID-19 has been balanced or minimized, compared to 33.8% who believe that the threat has been exaggerated. These numbers remain virtually unchanged as of May, when 58.8% believed that the COVID-19 threat had been balanced or minimized, compared with 32.2% who believed the threat had been exaggerated.
• 83.8% of Michigan voters say controlling the pandemic would help Michigan’s economy.

About the economy:

• 83.7% of Michigan voters believe the state’s economy is worse now than it was before the pandemic hit.
• 58% of Michigan voters say COVID-19 is affecting the finances of their homes.
• The most significant impact remains on voters under the age of 40. For voters aged 18 to 29, 34.1% said the impact was catastrophic or significant. For voters aged 30 to 39, 32.8% said the impact was catastrophic or significant.
• 45.8% said the economy was worse because elected officials continued to shut down companies.
• 39.6% said the economy was worse because we could not control the virus.

To Governor Gretchen Whitmer:

• 63.3% of Michigan voters believe Governor Whitmer is working aggressively to control the pandemic and protect public health. These favorable figures for the governor are practically the same as in May.
• 27.0% of voters believe they don’t do everything. More than half of the people who said the governor didn’t do everything said it was because he had to open business or do nothing.
• One-third of Republican voters believe Governor Whitmer is doing his best to control the pandemic. Republican opposition from out-of-state voters drives differences by region.

About the Michigan Legislature:

• 29.0% of Michigan voters say state legislative leaders are doing their best to control the pandemic. 46.5% of voters say they do not do everything they can.
• 46.5% of voters who said legislative leaders were not doing everything they could do were asked what they should do:
  • 40.9% said they should work and commit to the governor.
  • 11.1% said they should listen to scientists and health officials.
  • 8.6% said they should work on financial aid.
  • 8.2% said they should apply restrictions such as masks and social distancing.

See the results of the full survey here:

Coronavirus resources: