The Majority of Virginians Approve of Governor Northam’s Handling of the Coronavirus Crisis
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By The Center for Public Policy at VCU’s Wilder School
April 22, 2020
The novel coronavirus, which was first reported in late 2019, has now led to over 2 million cases of COVID-19 across the world. With cases in nearly every country, the pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives. Countries have essentially shut down, nonessential workers are working from home for the foreseeable future and we’re holding game nights and happy hours over virtual platforms. With no clear end in sight, the world waits in anticipation for a return to normalcy.
At the time this article was written, the United States reported a total of about 680,000 cases of COVID-19, with at least 35,000 deaths and about 58,000 recovered cases (for more recent numbers, you can check the Worldometer website). States have differed in their responses to the Coronavirus, varying in the severity of their reactions to the virus. Some implemented early stay-at-home orders, while others waited until political pressure increased to the point where such an order became a necessity.
Compared to other states, Virginia has taken a fairly proactive approach to preventing the spread of Coronavirus. Although Governor Ralph Northam issued Virginia’s stay-at-home order on March 23, a bit later than other states, the order is set to last through June 10—one of the longest in the nation. As of the time this article was written, Virginia reported about 7,500 cases of COVID-19 and about 230 deaths. Public response to the stay-at-home order has varied, as it has in states across the nation.
To better understand how Virginians felt about Northam’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, as well as Trump’s handling of the crisis and the CDC’s ability to successfully respond, The Center for Public Policy within the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University included relevant questions in the April 2020 Wilder School Commonwealth Poll. The poll, a telephone survey of 812 adults living in Virginia, was conducted between March 25 and April 8. It has an estimated margin of error of 4.51 percentage points for all adults sampled.
More than three-quarters of Virginians (76%) approved of how Governor Ralph Northam is handling the coronavirus crisis, with 40% strongly approving. Northam enjoyed a high level of approval regardless of party affiliation, with about seven-in-ten Republicans and Independents strongly or somewhat approving (68% and 70% respectively). Nine-in-ten Democrats approved, with 55% strongly approving of Northam’s handling of the crisis.
In comparison, Virginians were almost evenly split in their perspectives of how well Trump is handling the COVID-19 crisis. 50% of Virginians strongly or somewhat approved of how Trump is handling the crisis, while 48% strongly or somewhat disapproved. Party identification and race were significant to the opinion. 83% of Republicans approved, while 79% of Democrats disapproved. Independents were more evenly split with 52% approving and 45% disapproving. Racial minorities were more likely to disapprove of the job Trump is doing, at 62%. In comparison, 59% of Caucasian Virginians approved strongly or somewhat and 40% disapproved.
Additionally, 61% thought the CDC is very or somewhat prepared to handle a widespread coronavirus outbreak, with a plurality of 43% thinking the agency is somewhat prepared. Republicans were more likely to think the CDC is prepared with 32% saying the agency is very prepared, compared to 16% of independents and 9% of Democrats.
The findings from the Wilder School Commonwealth poll match the findings of other national polls. According to a recent poll conducted by CNN, over half of participants (52%) disapproved of how President Trump is handling the coronavirus outbreak. Considering the demographic breakdown of participants by age, those aged 35 to 49 disapproved at the highest rate (58%) while those aged 50 to 64 disapproved at the lowest rate (44%). In addition, 55% of participants felt that, regardless of their approval or disapproval of President Trump’s handling of the Coronavirus outbreak, President Trump could be doing more to fight the outbreak.
As we compare the public’s support in Virginia to that of the national response, it seems evident that, overall, the general public is looking for a proactive stance on addressing the novel coronavirus. While there will always be exceptions (such as recent protests against stay-at-home orders in states such as Virginia and Michigan), polls indicate that the majority is supportive of stringent measures to slow the spread of the virus to protect themselves and others.
Author: The Center for Public Policy aims to advance research and training that informs public policy and decision-making to improve our communities. We provide diverse public-facing services including leadership development and training, economic and policy impact analysis, survey insights and program evaluation to clients in state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses and the public, across Virginia and beyond. Twitter: @CPPatVCU
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The Majority of Virginians Approve of Governor Northam’s Handling of the Coronavirus Crisis
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By The Center for Public Policy at VCU’s Wilder School
April 22, 2020
The novel coronavirus, which was first reported in late 2019, has now led to over 2 million cases of COVID-19 across the world. With cases in nearly every country, the pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives. Countries have essentially shut down, nonessential workers are working from home for the foreseeable future and we’re holding game nights and happy hours over virtual platforms. With no clear end in sight, the world waits in anticipation for a return to normalcy.
At the time this article was written, the United States reported a total of about 680,000 cases of COVID-19, with at least 35,000 deaths and about 58,000 recovered cases (for more recent numbers, you can check the Worldometer website). States have differed in their responses to the Coronavirus, varying in the severity of their reactions to the virus. Some implemented early stay-at-home orders, while others waited until political pressure increased to the point where such an order became a necessity.
Compared to other states, Virginia has taken a fairly proactive approach to preventing the spread of Coronavirus. Although Governor Ralph Northam issued Virginia’s stay-at-home order on March 23, a bit later than other states, the order is set to last through June 10—one of the longest in the nation. As of the time this article was written, Virginia reported about 7,500 cases of COVID-19 and about 230 deaths. Public response to the stay-at-home order has varied, as it has in states across the nation.
To better understand how Virginians felt about Northam’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, as well as Trump’s handling of the crisis and the CDC’s ability to successfully respond, The Center for Public Policy within the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University included relevant questions in the April 2020 Wilder School Commonwealth Poll. The poll, a telephone survey of 812 adults living in Virginia, was conducted between March 25 and April 8. It has an estimated margin of error of 4.51 percentage points for all adults sampled.
More than three-quarters of Virginians (76%) approved of how Governor Ralph Northam is handling the coronavirus crisis, with 40% strongly approving. Northam enjoyed a high level of approval regardless of party affiliation, with about seven-in-ten Republicans and Independents strongly or somewhat approving (68% and 70% respectively). Nine-in-ten Democrats approved, with 55% strongly approving of Northam’s handling of the crisis.
In comparison, Virginians were almost evenly split in their perspectives of how well Trump is handling the COVID-19 crisis. 50% of Virginians strongly or somewhat approved of how Trump is handling the crisis, while 48% strongly or somewhat disapproved. Party identification and race were significant to the opinion. 83% of Republicans approved, while 79% of Democrats disapproved. Independents were more evenly split with 52% approving and 45% disapproving. Racial minorities were more likely to disapprove of the job Trump is doing, at 62%. In comparison, 59% of Caucasian Virginians approved strongly or somewhat and 40% disapproved.
Additionally, 61% thought the CDC is very or somewhat prepared to handle a widespread coronavirus outbreak, with a plurality of 43% thinking the agency is somewhat prepared. Republicans were more likely to think the CDC is prepared with 32% saying the agency is very prepared, compared to 16% of independents and 9% of Democrats.
The findings from the Wilder School Commonwealth poll match the findings of other national polls. According to a recent poll conducted by CNN, over half of participants (52%) disapproved of how President Trump is handling the coronavirus outbreak. Considering the demographic breakdown of participants by age, those aged 35 to 49 disapproved at the highest rate (58%) while those aged 50 to 64 disapproved at the lowest rate (44%). In addition, 55% of participants felt that, regardless of their approval or disapproval of President Trump’s handling of the Coronavirus outbreak, President Trump could be doing more to fight the outbreak.
As we compare the public’s support in Virginia to that of the national response, it seems evident that, overall, the general public is looking for a proactive stance on addressing the novel coronavirus. While there will always be exceptions (such as recent protests against stay-at-home orders in states such as Virginia and Michigan), polls indicate that the majority is supportive of stringent measures to slow the spread of the virus to protect themselves and others.
Author: The Center for Public Policy aims to advance research and training that informs public policy and decision-making to improve our communities. We provide diverse public-facing services including leadership development and training, economic and policy impact analysis, survey insights and program evaluation to clients in state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses and the public, across Virginia and beyond. Twitter: @CPPatVCU
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