According to an LSU Manship School Survey of Public Relations, the “re-open” protests on television might be overblown.
In fact, Louisiana residents actually poll like the rest of the country, largely opposing premature efforts to re-open businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
Louisiana residents have expressed broad bipartisan support for measures slowing the spread of coronavirus. And the vast majority of Louisiana residents are complying with the order, wearing face masks, and practicing social distancing.
The survey, which was conducted in April using an online poll of 1000 Louisiana residents, was weighted to reflect the demographics of the state and boasts a 4 percent margin of error. YouGov conducted the survey, from April 15 to April 18. The poll results are disaggregated by a number of demographics.
Louisiana residents are also pretty good at washing their hands, according to the poll. Seventy-five percent of respondents said they wash their hands “very often” and 50 percent claimed they disinfected surfaces “very often.”
Bipartisan support for governor, public health agencies.
Governor John Bel Edwards received high marks from poll respondents. Seventy-three percent of Louisianians reported they trust Governor Edwards either “a great deal” or “a fair amount,” as it concerns the coronavirus. And 64 percent of those polled said they either “strongly approve” or “somewhat approve” of how the state is handling the crisis.
President Trump, on the other hand, received less credit. Louisianians reported that they trust President Trump by a slight margin, with 54 percent reporting they trust him either a “great deal” or “a fair amount,” and 46 percent reporting they trust the President either “not much” or “not at all.” His support was far more partisan than that of the governor.
These numbers also closely mirrored President Trump’s approval rating.
But Louisianians reserved the greatest amount of confidence for public health experts. Only 18 percent of respondents reported not trusting the Louisiana Department of Health, and only 19 percent did not trust the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
Testing is widely available to those who need it.
According to the poll, almost everybody in Louisiana who has tried to receive testing for COVID-19 has been able to do so. Six percent of respondents had been tested for coronavirus, while 94 percent were untested. Of those who had not been tested, only two percent had actually tried to obtain testing.
Louisiana residents are taking the outbreak seriously.
Louisianians also showed a strong intent to comply with the stay-at-home order. Only 17 percent reported planning to attend a church service at all during lockdown, and only 21 percent reported planning to visit friends at least once.
Of those who reported intending to leave the house, a majority (59 percent) intended to wear a face mask “always” or “very often,” and 86 percent intended to practice social distancing with the same regularity.
However, when pressed about the reasons they would leave the house, about half of the respondents said they would leave the house for a non-excused reason.
Louisiana residents are resilient, optimistic, even in hard times.
While Louisinians reported feeling “upset” and “anxious” about the coronavirus outbreak, a majority of them – 72 percent – felt hopeful. Yet another 59 percent felt confident about the future. Despite a majority feeling positively about the future, 49 percent of respondents said they believed the worst was yet to come.
There are several key takeaways from this survey’s results:
- Despite Pastor Tony Spell and “re-open” protests receiving plenty of airtime, these stories do not represent the vast majority of Louisiana residents – who intend to stay faithful to the stay-at-home order.
- Louisiana residents, by a large margin, trust the public health experts to flatten the curve.
- Even though a majority of Louisianians are concerned with businesses closing during the pandemic, residents value public safety and lives over the economy.
- Louisianians are resilient people, having made it through numerous catastrophes in the past. They feel anxious and upset, but mostly remain hopeful for better days – even if they believe the worst is yet to come.
To read the poll in its entirety, click here.
