Fox News Poll: Voters see progress on COVID, most still wearing masks

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Voters increasingly think coronavirus is under control and want schools to have in-person learning this fall.  At the same time, over half still consider the virus a major threat to the country -- and a majority continues to mask up, according to the latest Fox News national poll.

The survey, released Thursday, finds 46 percent of voters say coronavirus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control.  That’s up from 29 percent last month and just 18 percent who felt that way in December. At the other end of the scale, 10 percent think the virus is not at all under control, down from a high of 51 percent last July.

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While the increase in optimism comes from both Democrats (+20 points) and Republicans (+16 points), Democrats remain less likely than Republicans to say the virus is under control (45 vs. 53 percent).  That partisan gap is the main difference in views on the virus -- there are no significant differences by gender, age, or education.

Overall, the share seeing coronavirus as a major threat to the stability of the U.S. is down 12 points from a year ago and now stands at 55 percent.  

New guidance from Centers for Disease Control says Americans vaccinated against coronavirus can stop wearing masks in most circumstances.

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Seventy-seven percent say they understand the government’s new mask guidance at least somewhat well.  Nonetheless, so far, people remain cautious, as 73 percent of vaccinated voters report wearing a mask all or most of the time when in public.  That number stands at 67 percent among all voters (vaccinated and unvaccinated), down from 81 percent last July.  

Even though more Democrats (87 percent) than Republicans (69 percent) say they understand the mask guidance, Democrats are twice as likely to wear a mask all the time (54 vs. 27 percent).  Those numbers hold even among those who have been jabbed: 56 percent of vaccinated Democrats and 27 percent of vaccinated Republicans report wearing a mask all the time.

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Maybe that’s because they think people are judging them.  Seventy-six percent of voters say people stereotype others based on whether or not they are wearing a mask.  That holds true among majorities of those vaccinated (77 percent) and unvaccinated (76 percent).  

Meanwhile, two-thirds (67 percent) are worried unvaccinated people will take advantage of the new rules and go mask-free.  They might be on to something, as the survey finds just 36 percent of unvaccinated voters wear a mask all the time when in the presence of others.  

Sixty percent approve of the job Dr. Anthony Fauci is doing on coronavirus, down from 73 percent in December.  The decline comes from a 23-point drop among Republicans (from 56 percent to 33 percent) and a 14-point drop among independents (from 68 percent to 54 percent).  Approval of Fauci held steady among Democrats:  88 percent vs. 90 percent in December.  

President Joe Biden gets his best marks for handling the pandemic, receiving better ratings than Fauci.  His ratings are in positive territory by 30 points, as 64 percent approve and 34 percent disapprove, up from 58-34 percent last month.  

More than one third of Republicans, 37 percent, approve of Biden on coronavirus -- the highest marks he receives from the GOP on any issue tested.  

Ninety percent of Democrats give Biden a thumbs-up on the pandemic, also his highest rating from them -- although he does almost as well on the economy (85 percent), the environment (84 percent), and health care (83 percent).  

Currently, 54 percent approve of Biden’s overall job performance and 42 percent disapprove.

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The pandemic and schools

Americans want schools open for in-person learning this fall.  Seventy-eight percent say open up, with 51 percent favoring the usual set up, and another 27 percent preferring in-person with social distancing and masks.  One in five, 19 percent, favor a combination of in-person and remote learning.  Among parents, 50 percent want schools fully open as usual, 30 percent say open with distancing/masks, and 18 percent favor a remote/in-person combo.  

While views are nearly identical among parents and non-parents, moms and dads see things differently.  Fewer moms than dads want schools to fully reopen (42 vs. 59 percent), and moms are more than twice as likely to prefer combination learning (24 vs. 10 percent).  

Many parents have concerns about their children returning to the classroom this fall.  About 7 in 10 worry about: schools mandating vaccinations (72 percent), teachers unions making it difficult to return fully to the classroom (72 percent), and unvaccinated students and teachers not wearing masks (69 percent). 

Democratic parents (90 percent) are twice as likely as GOP parents (46 percent) to be concerned about unvaccinated students and teachers not wearing masks.  And Democratic parents are a bit more worried about mandated vaccines (78 percent vs. 69 percent among Republican parents).  Parents from both parties share concern about the teachers unions:  71 percent Democrats and 74 percent Republicans.  

When it comes to the big picture, parents (71 percent) and voters overall (69 percent) are pleased with the school experience in their community.  About a quarter of each group is unsatisfied.  

Poll Pourri

Fifty-nine percent of voters report receiving the vaccine, including 65 percent of men, 54 percent of women, 73 percent of Democrats, 51 percent of Republicans, and 45 percent of independents.  

When asked the most important issue facing the country, voters are a bit more likely to mention the economy (23 percent) than coronavirus (19 percent).  Other top issues include border security/immigration (13 percent), race relations (10 percent), and political divisions (7 percent).  

Conducted May 22-25, 2021 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,003 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide who spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones.  The total sample has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.  

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.