communicating in crisis - navigator research...2020/08/12 · communicating in crisis update:...

Nationwide surveys of registered voters; Each wave represents approximately 1,000 interviews taken over the prior three-five days. Latest wave conducted August 6-10, 2020. For more info, visit navigatorresearch.org

Communicating in Crisis

Update:Wednesday, August 12


Key takeaways:

• Most Americans continue to say "the worst is yet to come" in the pandemic – though fewer than last month – while a majority still support "more aggressive" social distancing.

• A majority are more concerned about going too far in pushing for a vaccine than being too cautious and slow.

• The public says Trump should stay out of the development of the vaccine and that politics should be kept out of vaccine decision-making.


A majority of Americans continue to disapprove of the president’s handling of a range of issues, from health care to the pandemic – though this week’s ratings show a slight uptick for the president.• Republicans are largely driving these somewhat higher approval ratings: 86% approve of Trump’s handling of his

job as president this week, as compared to 79% just last week.

Trump Approval Ratings Remain Negative, Though With Slight Improvement From July

Approve Disapprove

Do you approve or disapprove of the way that Donald Trump is handling…

43

42

41

49

38

3

5

56

55

58

50

57

His job as president

The issue of health care

The coronavirus pandemic

The economy

Responding to the protests that have taken place after the death of George Floyd

Not sureNET Approve

Aug 10 July May Mar

-13 -21 -12 -4

-13 -20 -13 -7

-17 -24 -11 +4

-1 -9 -1 +8

-19 -27 n/a n/a


The vast majority (79%) continue to hear some negative things about President Trump this week, with a focus on his handling of coronavirus and, to a lesser degree, the reopening of schools.

Coronavirus Dominates Negative Conversation on Trump Over the Last Week

In a few words, what negative things have you seen, read, or heard recently about Donald Trump?

“Demanding schools to reopen too soon.”

“That he is trying to cause the coronavirus to spread further and faster because he is trying to open things too soon.”

“He is only concerned about opening up to move the economy forward, but all decisions with regards to coronavirus and healthcare have not alleviated or helped the pandemic at all.”

“He is not handling the pandemic very well.”

July 13

July 20

August 3August 10


62

50 5044

5446 48 47 44

4853

5963 66

61 57

1722 23 23 21

2520 19 20 20

16 16 16 17 16 18

2128 27

3325

30 31 33

36

32 3125

2117

24 24

4/13 4/20 4/27 5/4 5/11 5/18 5/25 6/1 6/8 6/15 6/22 6/29 7/6 7/13 7/20 7/27 8/3 8/10

When it comes to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, do you personally think that…

The worst is over

Since July 20, the share saying the “worst is yet to come” in the pandemic has decreased by 9 points, though less than a quarter still believe the “worst is over.”• In the last three weeks, the share who think the “worst is yet to come” has declined by 11 points among

Republicans, from 45% to 34%.

The worst is yet to come

Majority Still Believe “Worst is Yet to Come” Despite Slight Decline Since Mid-July

Don’t know


44 3431 29

3431

36 3532

37

40

49

5754 54 53

4451

5448 46 47

4441 41 39

36 3428 30 32 30

712 13

19 17 18 1821 21 20 20

14 13 11 12 14

4/13 4/20 4/27 5/4 5/11 5/18 5/25 6/1 6/8 6/15 6/22 6/29 7/6 7/13 7/20 7/27 8/3 8/10

More than half continue to say the country needs more aggressive social distancing measures, while less than one in six say that the country should relax social distancing.• On a separate question, 54% of Americans continue to say their state should reverse its reopening plans and

put back in place more restrictions given the status of coronavirus in their state.

When it comes to social distancing, what do you think we, as a country, need to be doing right now?

Majority Still Support “More Aggressive” Social Distancing

We need more aggressive social distancing measures, further limiting people’s movementWe are currently doing the right thing when it comes to social distancing

We should relax social distancing measures, letting people move around more freely


A majority are more concerned about potential negative consequences of moving too quickly on vaccinations than about being too cautious and slow.• Even among those in high infection states*, 57% say they are more concerned about going too far in pushing to

develop a vaccine quickly rather than being too cautious and slow.

Which of the following concerns you more?

Americans Favor Caution Over Moving Too Quickly on Vaccines

Overall

Democrats

Independents

Republicans

That we will go too far in pushing to develop a vaccine too quickly – causing unintended health consequences, setting the country back even further in combating the pandemic, and wasting money on a treatment that doesn’t work

That we will be too cautious and slow in developing a vaccine –

prolonging social distancing and preventing Americans from

getting back to life as normal for months or even yearsDon’t know

57

65

58

47

19

17

24

21

24

18

18

32

*”High infection states” are those that fall under the NY travel restriction list, based on a “seven day rolling average of positive tests in excess of 10%, or number of positive cases exceeding 10 per 10,000 residents.”Nationwide survey of 1,019 registered voters; August 6-10, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.org


Which of the following are the most important principles for the president to uphold in the development of a coronavirus vaccine?

Americans see the most important principles for a president to uphold in the development of a coronavirus vaccine to be: “listening to public health experts,” “truth,” and “transparency.”• The perceived importance of “dedication to science” is split along partisan lines: while 51% of Democrats say it

is one of the most important principles, only 39% of independents and 29% of Republicans say the same.

“Listening to Public Health Experts” and “Truth” Most Important Principles in Developing Vaccine

61%

51

42

40

26

19

12

12

7

3

Listening to public health experts

Truth

Transparency

Dedication to science

Competence

Patience

Compassion

Coordination

Fairness

None of these

Dem Ind Rep

73 60 47

46 55 56

41 40 45

51 39 29

27 23 26

16 23 21

9 10 16

10 8 15

6 6 8

2 7 4”Parents” are those who self-report having a child/children under the age of 18. Nationwide survey of 1,002 registered voters; July 9-13, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.org

Nationwide survey of 1,019 registered voters; August 6-10, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.org


Nearly two in three say they would prefer that Trump stay out of the development of a coronavirus vaccine and leave the issue to experts, while less than a quarter say he should get involved to expedite the process.• Among 2016 Trump voters, only 43% say that Trump should get involved, while 35% say that he should stay out of

developing a vaccine and leave it to experts instead.

Generally speaking, which would you prefer?

Majority Want Trump to Stay Out of Vaccine Development

Overall

Democrats

Independents

Republicans

Trump should stay out of the development and distribution of a vaccine against coronavirus and leave it to the scientists and public health experts

Trump should get involved with the development and

distribution of a vaccine against coronavirus because he can

make it happen more quicklyDon’t know

62

84

61

36

15

6

21

22

23

10

18

42

“2016 Trump voters” self-report having voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election.Nationwide survey of 1,019 registered voters; August 6-10, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.org


Below are some possible scenarios that could happen regarding a vaccine in the United States. For each, please indicate whether or not you would get vaccinated in each circumstance.

Roughly two in five say that if Dr. Fauci or the Food and Drug Administration announced a vaccine was ready for distribution, they would try to get vaccinated. Only one in five say the same of a Trump announcement.• Among Republicans, only 26% say they would try to get vaccinated if the Trump administration announced a

vaccine was ready for distribution: 17% of Democrats and 15% of independents say the same.

Fauci and FDA Endorsement of Vaccine Far More Important Than Trump’s

If Dr. Anthony Fauci endorsed the vaccine for distribution

If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a vaccine was ready for distribution in the next couple of months

If an independent, non-partisan panel of health experts announced a vaccine was ready

If other countries successfully distributed and administered a vaccine

If the Trump administration announced a vaccine was ready for distribution in the next couple of months

% Would try to get vaccinated

Dem Ind Rep

53 25 27

43 27 29

39 23 24

41 23 22

17 15 26


40

35

31

31

20

36

40

44

44

39

24

25

25

25

41

Would try to get vaccinated

Would definitely not get vaccinated

Would consider getting vaccinated


Below is a list of statements that might be made about the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each one.

More than three in four agree the Trump administration needs to be transparent about any clinical vaccine data, experts need to be able to make decisions without political pressure, and political staff should not get the final say.

Vast Majority Agree Trump Needs to Be Transparent About Vaccine Data, Keep Politics Out of Decision-Making

The Trump administration needs to be completely transparent by making any clinical data of any potential vaccine available for independent expert review. The vaccine can only be successful if people trust its safety

and information about the vaccine should not be hidden

Science and public health experts need to be able to decide on the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine without political pressure. The Trump administration should not push the FDA to prematurely authorize a

vaccine. With so much at stake, the risk to public health is too great

Political staff appointed by the Trump administration should not get the final say on whether a vaccine is safe and ready to be distributed to hundreds of millions of Americans. Career public health experts and senior

career government scientists must be able to review and speak publicly about any vaccine decisions

Anti-Trump politicians cannot be allowed to slow down vaccine development just to score political points. The Trump administration is working to create a vaccine as quickly as possible to save lives and the economy while

their many critics would rather see them fail

These are exceptional times and exceptions must be made to speed up the process, including cutting red tape to get a vaccine released as quickly as possible and get things back to normal again. This can be done safely

because there are many regulations that are wasteful or not relevant to the current situation


86

82

77

56

44

9

11

13

16

18

5

7

10

28

38

Agree DisagreeDon’t know

% Agree

Dem Ind Rep

89 74 85

91 75 75

85 70 69

37 54 80

35 36 57


53%

52

48

48

47

46

12

12

14

14

15

15

Instead of turning to a noted medical expert like Dr. Anthony Fauci to lead the team developing a vaccine, Trump appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner in charge

Since the start of this pandemic, Trump has refused to listen to scientists and repeatedly overruled the best medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci on matters of public health

The Trump administration is giving a $765 million dollar loan to Kodak to produce drug ingredients for a vaccine. Kodak has no experience with vaccine production, but the CEO reportedly has close

ties with Donald Trump and made millions of dollars off the deal

Trump is working against our current health care system at a time when we need it to be working well so people get a vaccine as soon as possible. Trump's health care plan lets insurance companies stop

covering the costs of a vaccine, leaving millions at risk of being unable to afford a vaccine

Trump has failed repeatedly to develop an effective national strategy to combat the coronavirus, and the administration has been incompetent in handling the virus since the beginning. Even if scientists

manage to create a vaccine quickly, producing and distributing it to hundreds of millions of Americans could be a disaster based on Trump’s handling of the pandemic so far

Trump has embraced fringe, unproven medical theories about treatments like hydroxychloroquine and promoted junk science and unproven claims for a cure for coronavirus. Even if he announces a

vaccine, Americans will never be able to trust him that it is being developed safely

Top Trump Vaccine Concerns: Putting Kushner in Charge, Ignoring ExpertsNearly two in three say a range of issues – from putting Kushner in charge of vaccine development, to ignoring experts, to giving Kodak $765 million – raise concerns for them in how Trump is handling a coronavirus vaccine.

Below is a list of concerns some people may have regarding Trump’s handling of the coronavirus vaccine. For each, please indicate whether it raises serious concerns.

Very Serious Smwt. Serious

Nationwide survey of 1,010 registered voters; May 8-May 13, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.orgNationwide survey of 1,608 registered voters; June 4-8, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.org

Total Serious Concerns

Overall Dem Ind GOP

64 90 61 35

64 92 61 30

62 87 60 33

61 90 58 28

62 92 57 27

61 90 58 27Nationwide survey of 1,009 registered voters; June 11-15, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.orgNationwide survey of 1,019 registered voters; August 6-10, 2020.For more info, visit navigatorresearch.org


Almost two-thirds are unfavorable to the clip of Trump’s recent HBO interview, with more than half saying that Trump could have done more and that many of the 160,000 American deaths could have been prevented.

Generally speaking, what is your reaction to this clip of Donald Trump?

Majorities Unfavorable to Trump “It Is What It Is” Clip, Feel He Could Have Done More to Prevent 160,000 Deaths


Overall

Democrats

Independents

Republicans

36

6

36

72

7

4

14

8

57

90

50

20

UnfavorableFavorable

35

8

30

68

65

92

70

32

He could have done more -we could have prevented

many of the 160,000 Americans from dying if we

handled it differently

He is right – the pandemic was totally unprecedented and Trump is doing the best he can to get it under control Not sure

Swan: These people, many of them are older people, Mr. President.Trump: Yeah, under the circumstances of right now, I think it’s under control.Swan: How? A thousand Americans are dying a day.Trump: They’re dying, it’s true, it is what it is.

Having watched that clip, what do you think of what Trump said?


About the StudyGlobal Strategy Group conducted public opinion surveys among a sample of 1,019 registered voters from August 6-10, 2020. 200 additional interviews were conducted among African American voters. 200 additional interviews were conducted among independents with no partisan lean. The survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from multiple opt-in online panel vendors. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables.

About NavigatorIn a world where the news cycle is the length of a tweet, our leaders often lack the real-time public-sentiment analysis to shape the best approaches to talking about the issues that matter the most. Navigator is designed to act as a consistent, flexible, responsive tool to inform policy debates by conducting research and reliable guidance to inform allies, elected leaders, and the press. Navigator is a project led by pollsters from Global Strategy Group and GBAO along with an advisory committee, including: Andrea Purse, progressive strategist; Arkadi Gerney, The Hub Project; Joel Payne, The Hub Project; Christina Reynolds, EMILY’s List; Delvone Michael, Working Families; Felicia Wong, Roosevelt Institute; Mike Podhorzer, AFL-CIO; Jesse Ferguson, progressive strategist; Navin Nayak, Center for American Progress Action Fund; Stephanie Valencia, EquisLabs; and Melanie Newman, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

For Press inquiries contact:

[email protected]

To learn more about Navigator:

http://navigatorresearch.org

@NavigatorSurvey on Twitter

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communicating in crisis - navigator research...2020/08/12 · communicating in crisis update:...

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