President Trump has said repeatedly that the coronavirus spike across the United States is due to more testing, and a strong plurality agrees, according to a new national poll.
The YouGov survey for the Economist asked registered voters: “Do you believe the increase in reported cases of COVID-19 in the community where you live is due to increased testing for COVID-19?” Forty-seven percent answered in the affirmative, while 36% said “no,” and 18% said they were not sure. The poll, conducted Sunday through Tuesday, had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
Trump has been criticized in some quarters for blaming the summer coronavirus surge on a more robust testing regimen. His approval rating for his handling of the pandemic has dropped precipitously. It was just 38% in the YouGov poll.
Pluralities of male and female voters cite more testing as the reason for more coronavirus cases, to the tune of 47% and 46%, respectively. So do 53% of voters with college degrees, 53% of voters who earn in excess of $100,000 annually, 50% of voters who are 65 years old or older, 57% of Hispanics, and 62% of voters who live in the Northeast, which was hit especially hard by the pandemic in the spring.
Only three blocs rejected the notion that an increase in coronavirus testing is the cause of the summer spread. They included 49% of voters who plan to support presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in November, 43% of self-identified Democrats, and 55% of voters describing themselves as liberal.
