Poll: Americans Say Coronavirus Restrictions Lifted Because of Politics, Not Science

Most Americans believe leaders are suddenly lifting remaining coronavirus restrictions because of political reasons — not science — an I&I/TIPP Poll released this week found.

Over the past month, blue state leaders have moved to lift the remaining restrictions in their states, removing statewide mask mandates and in some cases, unmasking school children as well. Hawaii marked the final state in the nation to announce the end of its statewide mask requirement, which ends Friday, March 25. However, Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) made it clear that he will be “ready to reinstitute the mask policy if COVID case numbers surge.”

Meanwhile, blue cities, such as New York City, have also moved to lift requirements, halting the city’s vaccine passport program, which forced businesses to discriminate against unvaccinated individuals. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) dropped similar rules in February. 

While Americans remain divided on the pace of lifting restrictions — 29 percent said it is moving “too slowly,” 32 percent said it is progressing “too rapidly,” and 29 percent said it is happening at the “right time,” a majority, 65 percent, agree that politics  — not science — is driving the decisions to lift restrictions. This sentiment is shared across the ideological spectrum by Democrats (58 percent), Republicans (75 percent), and independents (65 percent). 

The survey, taken March 2-4, among 1,318 adults, has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percent. 

Conservative leaders have warned that the timing of the ease of restrictions is suspect. 

“Sometimes I hear the phrase, the science changed. The science hasn’t changed. What’s changed is that there’s an election coming, and Democrats have seen the polling on this question,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said during a speech last month. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has issued the same warning and took it a step further last week, asserting that leftists will reimpose restrictions after the midterm elections “if they feel the need” to do so.

“The minute those elections are over, they will impose mandates if they feel the need to do that. They will impose restrictions,” he said during a roundtable discussion in Doral, Florida.

“But it’s wrong to mandate people and restrict people, and that will happen. I guarantee you, winter of 2022, any of those folks that are there, you are going to see that happen,” he continued, adding, “The only way to make sure it doesn’t happen is to have a nice, big, red wave. So, we’ll see.”