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There is strong support to reopen society and the economy as soon as possible, according to the latest Irish Times / Ipsos MRBI opinion poll, with only a minority in favor of a prolonged lockdown until the virus is removed.
The survey also shows that the zero Covid approach is not supported by a vast majority of respondents, who say they want things to return to normal once the elderly and vulnerable have been vaccinated.
Today’s findings also show that there is a widespread willingness to take the vaccine: 80 percent say they will take it tomorrow and only 14 percent say no. Three percent said they had already received it.
Responses to a variety of questions about Covid’s political preferences suggest that caution about reopening is competing with impatience over lifting the lockdown.
Taken together, the responses suggest that the country wants to continue reopening as soon as possible and certainly before the summer, but not so quickly as to pose a danger of a resurgence of the virus and a threat to the most vulnerable.
Today’s figures also suggest that there is strong support for opening schools as soon as possible. When asked for their opinion on various aspects of the reopening and when they should take place, 44 percent of those surveyed said schools should reopen “immediately,” and another 36 percent said they should reopen before the summer.
There is also strong support for the reopening of construction, with 43 percent favoring an immediate reopening of the sites, and a further 45 percent saying it should happen before the summer.
In contrast, there is much weaker support for an immediate reopening of nonessential retail stores, pubs / restaurants, and for lifting restrictions on travel and home visiting.
Only 15 percent of those surveyed favor the immediate reopening of “all non-essential services and shops”, while only 6 percent favor the reopening of pubs and restaurants. There is majority support for retailing reopening before the summer, with 55 percent in favor, but the desire for pubs and restaurants to reopen is much weaker, with just 33 percent saying they should open their stores. doors before summer.
(If you are reading this on the Irish Times app, the full results can be accessed here)
To travel
When it comes to travel and home visits, respondents are cautious and most favor reopening before summer rather than immediately.
On allowing people to travel outside of their own county, 24 percent said this should be implemented immediately, with 50 percent preferring before the summer.
By allowing people to visit each other’s homes, the numbers are similar: 18 percent favor an immediate reopening, 58 percent before the summer.
The poll shows that about a quarter (24 percent) of voters say there are not enough restrictions. However, they are outnumbered by nearly a third (31 percent) who say there are too many restrictions. In the middle is the largest group (43 percent) who say the level of restrictions is “correct.”
The mood for the reopening is confirmed when voters are asked about their attitude towards zero-Covid, which would keep a lock in place until Covid-19 has been virtually eliminated, allowing the partnership to fully reopen. at that moment.
Three out of 10 voters (30 percent) supported the zero Covid option, while 68 percent said they were in favor of “returning to normal once the elderly and vulnerable have been vaccinated.”
The survey was conducted on Monday and Tuesday of this week, and the researchers interviewed 1,200 adults by phone. Pandemic restrictions required a return to telephone sampling, while the October survey used face-to-face interviews. The level of precision is estimated to be plus or minus 2.8 percent.
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