A majority of state residents questioned for a University of Wyoming poll would be comfortable attending large outdoor events, although that comfort level dips somewhat as the events grow larger.
But a sizable number — about one-third — of those questioned in the survey conducted by the UW’s Survey and Analysis Center would be uncomfortable with such gatherings.
The survey of 498 Wyoming residents, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%, is the fifth to focus on issues connected with the coronavirus to be conducted by the center since COVID-19 was first detected in Wyoming in mid-March.
Of those contacted for the survey on June 8, a majority, 56.5%, said they would be comfortable attending an outdoor event this summer or fall attended by up to 250 people.
Once the number exceeded 250 people, the number of people who would be “extremely” or “somewhat” comfortable attending declined slightly to 51.7%.
A smaller but still significant number of people questioned said they would be “somewhat” or “extremely” uncomfortable attending large outdoor events. For events attended by up to 250 people, 32.8% said they would be uncomfortable, a number that increased to 37.8% if the size of the event grew to more than 250.
The survey also showed that more than half of those questioned, 58%, have not attended any public gatherings since the pandemic began. When the first survey was conducted in late March, almost 80% said they were not attending public gatherings.
The survey was conducted online using random members of “WyoSpeaks,” a panel of Wyoming residents who have expressed a willingness to be surveyed.
