Worries About Lifting Restrictions Depends On Political Affiliation

Results from a survey conducted last week by the Pew Research Institute shows Americans' worries of restriction lifting during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Americans feel differently about the worries when it comes to opening too soon or not soon enough with these differences generally lie with which side of the political spectrum you find yourself on- Democrat-leaning vs. Republican-leaning or conservative-leaning versus liberal-leaning.

Overall, 68% of Americans are more concerned that their states' government will lift restrictions on public activity too quickly.

Meanwhile, 31% of Americans are more concerned of restrictions not being lifted soon enough.

These viewpoints show little difference from previous surveys conducted earlier during the pandemic in April.

States with mandatory sheltering in place orders found more difference amongst conservatives' concerns than those conservatives living in states without restrictions.  The survey found that 57% of conservatives living in mandatory sheltering in place states were more concerned with restrictions not being lifted soon enough compared to 43% of conservatives with the same concern but living in states without restrictions.

Those with left-leaning views, conservative Democrat-leaning to strongly liberal affiliation, despite living in a state with mandatory restrictions or not, tended to have agreed concern of states' governments lifting restrictions too soon on public activity.  Democrats in states with and without restrictions were between about 86 - 89% concerned about restrictions being lifted too early.

Overall, nearly half, at 48%, of Americans believe current restrictions in their area were 'about right'.