While most Wyoming residents questioned for a University of Wyoming poll are concerned about the spread of coronavirus in the state, a growing number are not at all concerned, according to the poll’s results.
The survey conducted by the university’s Survey and Analysis Center showed that of the 503 people questioned on Sept. 8, 43.5% said they were not at all concerned about the spread of the virus in Wyoming.
At the same time, 26% said they were somewhat anxious and 30.4% said they were fairly or very anxious about the potential spread.
The survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%, is the latest conducted by the center focusing on public opinions about issues related to coronavirus. Those surveyed were selected randomly from the center’s “WyoSpeaks” panel, a group of people who have expressed a willingness to be surveyed.
The survey showed that the number of people not concerned about the spread of the illness in Wyoming has gone up by 7.8 percentage points from August, when 35.7% said they were not concerned.
Meanwhile, the number of those questioned who are somewhat, fairly or very anxious about the spread of the illness dropped from 82.9% in March and 64.3% in August to 56.4% in September.
Also increasing in September was the number of people who believe the pandemic is being blown out of proportion.
Among those surveyed, 47.4% feel the illness is being blown out of proportion, an increase of 8.3 percentage points from August and almost double the percentage in March who felt the illness was being blown out of proportion.
Meanwhile, the number of people who feel the illness is a real threat fell by 7.6 percentage points from August to total 45.2% in September, the survey said. In March, 63.8% of those questioned said they felt COVID-19 was a real threat.
