School of Public Affairs, August 13, 2020 Emergency Preparedness Survey Summary: Researchers at the University of South Florida conducted a statewide survey of 600 Floridians to measure emergency preparedness, as well as general opinions regarding the COVID-19 public health crisis and related policy issues. This brief summarizes responses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey included a representative sample of the state’s residents, fielded between July 30th and August 10th. The results are reported below with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error +/- 4. ____________________________________________________________________________ Floridians are still concerned about COVID-19. When it comes to COVID-19, a majority of Floridians (55%) believe that the worst is not yet behind us; less than 25% believe that it is. Trust in Public Health Guidelines. A large majority of Floridians (82%) believe that prevention guidelines being emphasized by public health officials – such as wearing a mask in public and practicing social distancing – are effective at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Most Floridians Would Support Closing Public Schools This Fall. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) indicated that they would support a statewide decision to close public schools this Fall. A majority (54%) indicated that they would “Strongly Support” doing so. Strong Support for a Statewide Mask Mandate: An overwhelming majority of Floridians (87%) would support a statewide mask mandate, with 73% indicating that they would “Strongly Support” such a measure. Concerns Over Political Rallies. With election season approaching, 46% of Floridians feel that political candidates should not hold any rallies in Florida this Fall, while another 42% feel that political rallies should only be held if they can adhere to proper social distancing guidelines. Additional Support for Mitigation Policies. A majority of Floridians would also support additional mitigation efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, including placing stricter limits on public gatherings (85%) as well as temporarily re-closing bars and restaurants (66%), houses of worship (63%), and beaches/public parks (60%). Small Partisan Differences on COVID-19. Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats favor enhanced mitigation efforts, though some partisan differences exist. Republicans are more likely to believe that the worst is behind us with regard to COVID-19 and slightly less likely to believe that public health guidance is effective at limiting the spread of the virus. Democrats are more supportive of a statewide mask mandate, closing public schools, and placing stricter limits on public gatherings, though majorities in both parties support each measure. Page 1 of 10 Summary of Responses Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: When it comes to COVID-19, the worst is behind us. Frequency Percent Strongly Agree 66 11.0 Somewhat Agree 74 12.3 Neither Agree nor Disagree 130 21.7 Somewhat Disagree 146 24.3 Strongly Disagree 184 30.7 Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: I feel more prepared to protect myself from COVID-19 than I did when the outbreak began. Frequency Percent Strongly Agree 211 35.2 Somewhat Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree 227 114 37.8 19.0 Somewhat Disagree 31 5.2 Strongly Disagree 17 2.8 Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: I believe that the prevention guidelines given by public health officials (such as wearing a mask in public and practicing social distancing) are effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Frequency Percent Strongly Agree 275 45.8 Somewhat Agree 218 36.3 Neither Agree nor Disagree 55 9.2 Somewhat Disagree 28 4.7 Strongly Disagree 24 4.0 Page 2 of 10 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Placing stricter limits on the size of public gatherings. Frequency Percent Strongly Support 406 67.7 Somewhat Support 105 17.5 Neither Support nor Oppose 46 7.7 Somewhat Oppose 22 3.7 Strongly Oppose 21 3.5 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Requiring individuals to wear face masks in public. Frequency Percent Strongly Support 440 73.3 Somewhat Support 79 13.2 Neither Support nor Oppose Somewhat Oppose 36 16 6.0 2.7 Strongly Oppose 29 4.8 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Issuing a new “Stay-at-Home” Order. Frequency Percent Strongly Support 245 40.8 Somewhat Support 149 24.8 Neither Support nor Oppose 80 13.3 Somewhat Oppose 58 9.7 Strongly Oppose 68 11.3 Page 3 of 10 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Closing Public Schools for the Fall. Frequency Percent Strongly Support 324 54.0 Somewhat Support 111 18.5 Neither Support nor Oppose 77 12.8 Somewhat Oppose 41 6.8 Strongly Oppose 47 7.8 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Re-Closing Restaurants and Bars. Frequency Percent Strongly Support 241 40.2 Somewhat Support 152 25.3 Neither Support nor Oppose Somewhat Oppose 77 71 12.8 11.8 Strongly Oppose 59 9.8 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Re-Closing Houses of Worship. Frequency Percent Strongly Support 247 41.2 Somewhat Support 128 21.3 Neither Support nor Oppose 97 16.2 Somewhat Oppose 52 8.7 Strongly Oppose 76 12.7 Page 4 of 10 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Re-Closing Beaches and Public Parks. Frequency Percent Strongly Support 256 42.7 Somewhat Support 101 16.8 Neither Support nor Oppose 99 16.5 Somewhat Oppose 57 9.5 Strongly Oppose 87 14.5 How do you feel about political candidates holding campaign rallies in Florida this Fall? Candidates should hold rallies the same as they would any other year Candidates should only hold rallies that follow proper social distancing guidelines Candidates should not hold any campaign rallies in Florida this Fall Frequency Percent 72 12.2 248 42.0 270 45.8 Page 5 of 10 Partisan Differences Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements: When it comes to COVID-19, the worst is behind us. Reported as percentage of column totals Democrats Independents Republicans Strongly Agree 6.6 9.6 18.9 Somewhat Agree 9.7 9.0 19.4 Neither Agree nor Disagree 16.7 22.8 28.0 Somewhat Disagree 29.5 24.6 16.6 Strongly Disagree 37.6 34.1 17.1 Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements. I believe that the prevention guidelines given by public health officials (such as wearing a mask in public and practicing social distancing) are effective in preventing the spread of COVID19. Reported as percentage of column totals Democrats Independents Republicans Strongly Agree 50.8 38.3 45.7 Somewhat Agree 38.0 37.1 33.1 Neither Agree nor Disagree 7.0 11.4 10.3 Somewhat Disagree 2.7 6.0 6.3 Strongly Disagree 1.6 7.2 4.6 Page 6 of 10 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Requiring individuals to wear face masks in public. Reported as percentage of column totals Democrats Independents Republicans Strongly Support 86.0 68.9 58.9 Somewhat Support 10.1 12.6 18.3 Neither Support nor Oppose 2.3 8.4 9.1 Somewhat Oppose 0.8 2.4 5.7 Strongly Oppose 0.8 7.8 8.0 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Closing Public Schools for the Fall. Reported as percentage of column totals Democrats Independents Republicans Strongly Support 65.9 50.3 40.0 Somewhat Support 20.2 20.4 14.3 Neither Support nor Oppose 9.7 18.0 12.6 Somewhat Oppose 2.7 6.6 13.1 Strongly Oppose 1.6 4.8 20.0 Page 7 of 10 To what extent would you support or oppose the state of Florida taking the following actions to slow the spread of COVID-19? Placing Stricter Limits on Public Gatherings. Reported as percentage of column totals Democrats Independents Republicans Strongly Support 76.4 64.1 58.3 Somewhat Support 18.2 18.6 15.4 Neither Support nor Oppose 4.3 9.6 10.9 Somewhat Oppose 0.8 3.6 8.0 Strongly Oppose 0.4 4.2 7.4 Page 8 of 10 Survey Information For this survey, 600 residents of Florida were surveyed via an online web-panel using Prodege MR, an industry leading market research provider. The survey was fielded from July 30th through August 10th, and the results are reported with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of +/-4. Survey respondents were selected via a stratified, quota sampling approach in order to ensure a representative sample of Florida’s population. Quotas for gender, age, race, and ethnicity were calculated based on population estimates provided by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR). Table A1 below summarizes the USF survey sample in comparison to BEBR’s 2019 population estimates. Table A1 Sample Comparison USF Survey Sample 2019 BEBR Estimates Gender Female Male 53% 47% 51% 49% Age 18-24 25-54 55-64 65+ 10% 48% 18% 24% 11% 47% 17% 25% Race African American White/Caucasian Other 20% 71% 9% 17% 77% 6% Ethnicity Hispanic Non- Hispanic 27% 73% 26% 74% The sample was stratified by region of the state to ensure geographical representativeness. [Northeast Florida-14%; Tampa Bay Metro-17%; Southwest Florida-11%; Orlando/Daytona18%; Palm Beach/Treasure Coast-10%; Southeast Florida-23%; and Northwest Florida-7%]. *For media inquiries, please contact Stephen Neely at srneely@usf.edu or (412)335-5055 Page 9 of 10 About our Research Team Robin Ersing (PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo, 2000) is Director and Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of South Florida. She specializes in social policy with an emphasis on vulnerable populations, disaster resilience, community impact and asset assessment, and community action research. She is co-author of the book, Surviving Disaster: The Role of Social Networks. For more information please visit her faculty webpage at https://www.usf.edu/artssciences/departments/public-affairs/about-us/faculty/rersing.aspx Dr. Ersing can be contacted by email at rersing@usf.edu Stephen Neely (PhD, North Carolina State University, 2013) is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of South Florida. He is coordinator of the School’s undergraduate program in Leadership and Public Service. His areas of specialization include survey research, quantitative data analysis, and public policy. He is a faculty researcher on the Sunshine State Survey project and has conducted survey research on behalf of local governments in the Tampa Bay region. For more information please visit https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/departments/public-affairs/aboutus/faculty/sneely.aspx Dr. Neely can be contacted by email at srneely@usf.edu Christa L. Remington (PhD, Florida International University, 2017) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of South Florida. She specializes in nonprofit management and emergency management. Her research focuses on cultural competence, post-disaster response and recovery, and policies impacting first responders. Dr. Remington is also a nonprofit consultant and the Emergency Management Research Coordinator at the Center for Leadership Research and Action. For more information please visit her faculty webpage at https://www.usf.edu/artssciences/departments/public-affairs/about-us/faculty/cremington.aspx. Dr. Remington can be contacted by email at clremington@usf.edu About the School of Public Affairs The School of Public Affairs (SPA) at the University of South Florida is part of USF's College of Arts and Sciences and serves as a premier community-centered hub for public affairs education and research, providing quality education, research, and public service to meet community, national, and global needs. SPA offers graduate degree programs in Public Administration and Urban & Regional Planning, as well as graduate certificates in Public Management, Nonprofit Management, Data Science, Community Development, and Coastal Resiliency Planning. SPA also offers undergraduate minors in Public Service & Leadership as well as Urban Studies. To learn more about the School of Public Affairs, please visit us at https://www.usf.edu/artssciences/departments/public-affairs/index.aspx Page 10 of 10