The latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll focused on attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic and the responses to it, and lands amidst widespread speculation about Governor Greg Abbott’s promised updates on modifications to the statewide stay-at-home orders he issued less than a month ago on April 2. That speculation is intense among Texans subject to it, but is also being anticipated at the national level given Texas’ role as a conservative policy bellwether as well as the criticism of other state’s seemingly premature loosening of their own stay at home measures (see Georgia).
With Abbott in the spotlight in the state and the nation Monday, we’ve gathered several results focused on attitudes toward the governor and the policies implemented in Texas by both Abbott and localities — and presumably subject to change. We recently wrote about the intersection between Abbott’s management of politics and governance in enacting his stay-at-home orders with historical UT/TT polling data. The most recent results illuminate the public opinion context of Abbott’s early decision-making, and the personal and political experiences likely to shape responses to the pace of the relaxing of those policies he is expected to roll out this week. We’ll return to a more detailed incorporation of how these results connect to Abbott’s announcement after we know more about the path he proposes for the state. For now, the results below demonstrate the public opinion landscape Abbott is navigating as we all wait to see what path the Governor will chart forTexas in the next, still dangerous phase of the coronavirus pandemic.
Overall job approval trend (link)
| Poll | Approve | Disapprove | Neither/Don't Know |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2015 | 42% | 29% | 28% |
| February 2016 | 41% | 29% | 30% |
| June 2016 | 42% | 31% | 27% |
| October 2016 | 42% | 33% | 25% |
| February 2017 | 45% | 33% | 23% |
| June 2017 | 45% | 38% | 16% |
| October 2017 | 48% | 33% | 19% |
| February 2018 | 46% | 31% | 23% |
| June 2018 | 47% | 36% | 18% |
| October 2018 | 52% | 32% | 17% |
| February 2019 | 51% | 32% | 17% |
| June 2019 | 51% | 31% | 18% |
| October 2019 | 52% | 28% | 21% |
| February 2020 | 48% | 34% | 18% |
| April 2020 | 56% | 32% | 13% |
| June 2020 | 49% | 39% | 13% |
| October 2020 | 47% | 40% | 14% |
| February 2021 | 46% | 39% | 15% |
| March 2021 | 45% | 43% | 11% |
| April 2021 | 43% | 45% | 13% |
| June 2021 | 44% | 44% | 11% |
| August 2021 | 41% | 50% | 9% |
| October 2021 | 43% | 48% | 10% |
| February 2022 | 44% | 42% | 15% |
| April 2022 | 47% | 41% | 13% |
| June 2022 | 43% | 46% | 12% |
| August 2022 | 46% | 44% | 10% |
| October 2022 | 47% | 44% | 9% |
| December 2022 | 49% | 41% | 8% |
| February 2023 | 46% | 43% | 12% |
| April 2023 | 46% | 41% | 12% |
| June 2023 | 47% | 42% | 12% |
| August 2023 | 45% | 45% | 10% |
| October 2023 | 49% | 40% | 10% |
| December 2023 | 48% | 41% | 11% |
| February 2024 | 53% | 37% | 10% |
Overall job approval (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Approve strongly | 31% |
| Approve somewhat | 25% |
| Neither approve nor disapprove | 9% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 14% |
| Disapprove strongly | 18% |
| Don't know | 4% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve strongly | 7% | 16% | 54% |
| Approve somewhat | 17% | 18% | 34% |
| Neither approve nor disapprove | 13% | 13% | 4% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 24% | 19% | 4% |
| Disapprove strongly | 35% | 22% | 2% |
| Don't know | 3% | 12% | 3% |
Coronavirus job approval (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Approve strongly | 31% |
| Approve somewhat | 25% |
| Neither approve nor disapprove | 9% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 13% |
| Disapprove strongly | 16% |
| Don't know | 5% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve strongly | 8% | 19% | 55% |
| Approve somewhat | 22% | 13% | 31% |
| Neither approve nor disapprove | 12% | 19% | 4% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 22% | 14% | 5% |
| Disapprove strongly | 29% | 24% | 2% |
| Don't know | 6% | 11% | 3% |
Economy job approval (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Approve strongly | 31% |
| Approve somewhat | 23% |
| Neither approve nor disapprove | 15% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 11% |
| Disapprove strongly | 14% |
| Don't know | 7% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve strongly | 5% | 16% | 57% |
| Approve somewhat | 18% | 14% | 29% |
| Neither approve nor disapprove | 21% | 25% | 7% |
| Disapprove somewhat | 20% | 13% | 2% |
| Disapprove strongly | 26% | 20% | 2% |
| Don't know | 9% | 12% | 4% |
Trust in Governor Abbott to give accurate information about the Coronavirus (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Trust | 58% |
| Don't trust | 31% |
| Don't know/Unfamiliar | 11% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust | 32% | 35% | 85% |
| Don't trust | 56% | 41% | 8% |
| Don't know/Unfamiliar | 13% | 24% | 7% |
Bigger threat to the country: Ending stay-at-home too soon, or staying at home too long (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Keeping people at home for too long in response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 | 34% |
| Not keeping people at home long enough in response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 | 55% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 11% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keeping people at home for too long in response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 | 11% | 24% | 55% |
| Not keeping people at home long enough in response to the coronavirus/COVID-19 | 83% | 54% | 32% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 6% | 22% | 13% |
When will Coronavirus be contained? (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| It is already | 9% |
| In the next few weeks | 21% |
| In the next few months | 41% |
| In the next year | 17% |
| A year or more | 9% |
| Never | 2% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is already | 5% | 10% | 12% |
| In the next few weeks | 7% | 21% | 35% |
| In the next few months | 46% | 41% | 38% |
| In the next year | 28% | 12% | 9% |
| A year or more | 13% | 11% | 5% |
| Never | 2% | 5% | 1% |
Attitudes on Texas COVID-19/Coronavirus policies
Requiring Texans to stay at home except for essential activities (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 77% |
| Oppose | 16% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 7% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 90% | 64% | 69% |
| Oppose | 5% | 19% | 25% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 5% | 17% | 6% |
Closing public schools (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 83% |
| Oppose | 10% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 6% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 94% | 71% | 78% |
| Oppose | 3% | 10% | 16% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 3% | 19% | 6% |
Requiring travelers from other cities and/or states with outbreaks to self-quarantine if they come to Texas (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 83% |
| Oppose | 8% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 10% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 86% | 64% | 85% |
| Oppose | 6% | 12% | 8% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 9% | 23% | 7% |
Restricting in-person religious services of more than 10 people (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 74% |
| Oppose | 17% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 9% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 91% | 61% | 62% |
| Oppose | 4% | 16% | 29% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 5% | 23% | 10% |
| Category | Extremely important | Somewhat important | Not very important | Not at all important |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 69% | 70% | 83% | 86% |
| Oppose | 21% | 19% | 9% | 8% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 10% | 11% | 7% | 6% |
| Category | The Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word. | The Bible is the word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally, word for word. | The Bible is a book written by men and is not the word of God. | Don't know. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 64% | 74% | 89% | 62% |
| Oppose | 26% | 17% | 5% | 16% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 10% | 9% | 6% | 22% |
Suspending the operation of businesses determined to be 'non-essential' (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 66% |
| Oppose | 25% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 9% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 84% | 60% | 53% |
| Oppose | 11% | 24% | 37% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 6% | 17% | 10% |
Closing state parks (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 68% |
| Oppose | 24% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 8% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 85% | 62% | 55% |
| Oppose | 9% | 21% | 38% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 5% | 16% | 8% |
Establishing emergency hospital facilities (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 85% |
| Oppose | 7% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 8% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 93% | 69% | 83% |
| Oppose | 4% | 8% | 9% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 3% | 22% | 8% |
Postponing May 2020 elections (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 55% |
| Oppose | 27% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 18% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 65% | 61% | 47% |
| Oppose | 18% | 18% | 37% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 17% | 21% | 16% |
Prohibiting health care providers from providing abortion services (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 48% |
| Oppose | 35% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 17% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 21% | 40% | 74% |
| Oppose | 60% | 37% | 12% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 19% | 23% | 14% |
Prohibiting the size of gatherings to 10 people or less (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 80% |
| Oppose | 14% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 6% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 91% | 64% | 74% |
| Oppose | 5% | 17% | 21% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 3% | 19% | 5% |
Releasing some non-violent offenders awaiting trial in county jails (link)
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Favor | 44% |
| Oppose | 43% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 13% |
| Category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favor | 66% | 40% | 25% |
| Oppose | 20% | 30% | 66% |
| Don't know/No opinion | 13% | 30% | 9% |