Newsletter and Subscription Sign Up
Subscribe

77% NH Residents Wear Masks in Public

Published Tuesday Sep 22, 2020

77% NH Residents Wear Masks in Public

Seventy-seven percent of New Hampshire residents polled say they always wear a face mask in public, or do so except when outside and socially distancing. Only half of regular Fox News viewers and a third of conservative talk radio listeners, however, report taking such precautions, according to a new UNH Granite State Panel survey.

Lawrence Hamilton and Thomas Safford of The Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of NH discussed the results of a statewide poll of NH residents to learn about their perceptions and behavior during the pandemic.

  • By a 2 to 1 margin, respondents say that controlling the spread of COVID-19 should be a higher government priority than restarting the economy, but only small fractions of conservative media consumers hold this view.
  • Despite taking personal precautions, 56 percent worry that they or a family member might become sick, and 59 percent think that the worst of the pandemic is yet to come for the United States; conservative media consumers are less worried and more optimistic.
  • Large and growing majorities disapprove of how President Trump is handling the COVID-19 situation. 

These divergent behaviors and outlooks will influence the course of the pandemic for everyone, in ways that become clear over the months and years ahead, the authors say.

Read the full brief.

 

All Stories