UW Poll: Growing Number of Wyomingites Worried About Coronavirus Spread

A growing number of people surveyed by the University of Wyoming are worried about the spread of coronavirus in Wyoming.

July 20, 20202 min read

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(Cowboy State Daily Staff)

A growing number of people surveyed by the University of Wyoming are worried about the spread of coronavirus in Wyoming.

The university’s Survey Research Center reported its July 14 survey of 504 Wyoming residents showed that 35.7% of those questioned are very or fairly anxious about the spread of the illness in Wyoming, an increase of 10 percentage points from the center’s last coronavirus-related survey in June.

Another 30.4% of those questioned said they were somewhat anxious, a decline of 3.1 percentage points, while 33.9% said they were not worried at all, a decline of almost 7 percentage points from June.

Among those responding to the survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%, 41.7% said they felt that the “worst is yet to come” in Wyoming from the virus, an increase of 14.1 percentage points from June.

Almost 23% said they felt the virus is not likely to be a major problem, a decline of 3.5 points from June.

However, almost half of those questioned, 49.4%, also said they felt confident Wyoming’s health care system can handle the virus.

The survey was the latest of a series conducted by the Survey Research Center to gauge the opinions of Wyoming’s residents on issues related to coronavirus. Those questioned came from the center’s “WyoSpeaks” panel of state residents who have indicated a willingness to respond to the center’s online surveys.

On other issues, those answering the survey’s questions seemed about evenly split over the idea of visiting outdoor events that drew up to 250 people. About 45% said they would be extremely or somewhat comfortable attending such events, while 43.3% said they would be somewhat or extremely uncomfortable.

When the number of attendees exceeds 250, 48.8% said they would be uncomfortable attending an outdoor event, while 40.4% said they would be comfortable. 

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