Survey Suggests Majority Of Mass. Residents Favor More COVID Restrictions

A recent survey of Massachusetts residents suggests the majority favor more restrictions aimed toward slowing the spread among COVID-19 as the state continues to see a spike in cases.

The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public's Policy Preferences Across States sponsored survey suggested there is both political support for more restrictions to be implemented and public desire for the state to do more in its response, researchers told the Boston Globe in an e-mail.

The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public's Policy Preferences Across States study revealed more than 88% of 919 respondents were in favor of tighter restrictions in an effort to keep residents home and avoid gatherings, while 89% were in favor of restricting travel to the United States and 76% within the U.S.

“The biggest single conclusion is that there is a lot of public support for the governor to be more aggressive in his response to COVID-19,” said David Lazer, a Northeastern University professor and researcher with the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States, via the Globe.

Researchers from Harvard, Northwestern University and Rutgers University also participated in the study, according to the Globe.

Lazer believes the public perception has lined up with the view of public health experts that there needs to be a stronger effort to "break the wave" as Massachusetts once again saw a spike in cases following Thanksgiving weekend.

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