This post updates an earlier post from April with results from the June 2021 University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, which adds another round of assessments of Texans’ attitudes about the coronavirus pandemic to the Texas Politics Project polling data archive. The June poll adds to an archive of COVID-related data collected in polls conducted in April, June, and October of 2020, and February and April of 2021. The time series allows reporters, researchers, elected leaders, public health officials, and the public a view of how Texans’ concerns about COVID, behaviors during the pandemic, and evaluations of the official responses have changed throughout a year of pandemic conditions in Texas.

We’ve again presented the results below with little commentary or analysis to make them immediately available in the midst of continuing decisions by Texans and policy makers about how to adjust to pandemic conditions that are clearly lessening in severity in the state and most of the country, but have just as clearly not subsided entirely - to say nothing of continuing crises in other parts of the world. For now, the trend graphics provoke mutiple interpretations of how Texans have responded to the pandemic, and suggest that the clear differences in responses to the pandemic among different groups reflect very different experiences of the pandemic and its effects. Every picture below continues to tell multiple stories.

To jump to a section of results, click on the link below. For a look at all of the results from the most recent poll, jump to the latest poll page. All of the polling data, including toplines, crosstabs, data files, code books, and full methodology statements, can be found in the data archive. Click on the table of contents below to jump to a section:

Concern
Behavior
Evaluations

About the polls: Each poll samples 1200 self-identified registered voters in the state of Texas. The data is weighted to the known characteristics of registered voters of Texas from the 2018 Current Population survey and 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Survey. The margin of error of the weighted data for the full sample of registered voters is +/- 2.8 percentage points, with higher margins of error for subgroups. For a full explanation of the poll, see any one of the recent methodology statements available in the data archive.

About the graphics: A link below  each graphic leads to a downloadable, shareable, embeddable version of that graphic. Lines can be turned off by clicking on their values in the legends at the bottom of each graphic, which allows for some customization when downloading.

In addition to these items, asked across multiple polls, many other items about the coronavirus pandemic have also been asked in the five polls conducted between April 2020 and April 2021. In addition to all of the polling data available in the data archive, graphical representations of all COVID related results can be found through the polling search.

 

Concern

In each of the surveys, Texas voters were asked to rate their assessment of the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic, their degree of concern about community spread, and their concern about contracting COVID (or someone they know contracting COVID). Click on the table of contents below to jump to a section:

Seriousness Assessment
     by Party
     by Race
Community Spread Concern
Personal Spread Concern
Containing COVID vs. Helping the Economy

 

Coronavirus Seriousness Assessments

Respondents were asked, "Would you say that the coronavirus/COVID-19 is..." and given the response options "a significant crisis," "a serious problem but not a crisis," "a minor problem," "not a problem at all," and "Don't know/No opinion."

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Coronavirus Seriousness Assessments by Party

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Coronavirus Seriousness Assessments by Race

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Community Spread Concern

Respondents were asked, "How concerned are you about the spread of the coronavirus in your community?"

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Personal Spread Concern

Respondents were asked, "How concerned are you about you or someone you know getting infected with the coronavirus?"

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Containing COVID vs. Helping the Economy

Respondents were asked, "What do you think is more important...Trying to help control the spread of the coronavirus, even if it hurts the economy OR Trying to help the economy, even if it hurts efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus?"

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Behavior

In each of the surveys, respondents were asked to describe their activity levels during the pandemic, what social distancing practices they are engaging in, and to assess the safety of engaging in a range of activities. Click on the table of contents below to jump to a section:

General Behavior
     by Party
     by Race
Social Distancing
Safety of Different Activities

 

General Behavior

In the February and April 2021 surveys, Respondents were asked, "Thinking about how you and your family are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, which of these best describes you these days?" In April, June, and October 2020 polling, respondents were asked, "As you may know, many Americans have been told to stay home if they can because of the coronavirus pandemic. Which of these best describes you these days?"

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General Behavior by Party

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General Behavior by Race

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Social Distancing

Respondents were asked, "Which of the following measures, if any, are you taking in response to the coronavirus/COVID-19?" The specific activities were described thusly: "Staying away from large groups," and "Wearing a mask when in close contact with people outside your household."

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Safety of Different Activities

Respondents were asked, "Regardless of the current restrictions in your local area, do you think it would be safe or unsafe for you to..." and then provided a list of activities, including: Go to work; Fly on an airplane; Eat at a restaurant; Attend a sporting event or concert at an outdoor stadium; Attend a sporting event or concert in an indoor arena; Go to a movie theater; Attend church; Send your child to school; Go grocery shopping; Go to a bar or club; Go to a gym or health club; Stay in a hotel; Go to a shopping mall; and Get a haircut.

Share of Texas Voters who Say Each of the Following Activities is Safe
(University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polling)

	June  2021	April 2021	February 2021	October 2020	June 2020
Go grocery shopping	89%	86%	78%	80%	72%
Get a haircut	84%	77%	66%	66%	59%
Go to work	83%	74%	65%	64%	55%
Stay in a hotel	79%	74%	62%	62%	50%
Eat at a restaurant	79%	63%	55%	56%	49%
Send your child to school	74%	63%	55%	45%	35%
Go to a shopping mall	72%	62%	48%	49%	36%
Attend church	67%	59%	48%	50%	41%
Fly on an airplane	65%	51%	40%	39%	27%
Attend a sporting event or concert at an outdoor stadium	65%	51%	40%	41%	30%
Go to a movie theater	59%	49%	38%	37%	27%
Go to a gym or health club	57%	47%	37%	35%	29%
Attend a sporting event or concert in an indoor arena	50%	39%	29%	29%	21%
Go to a bar or club	49%	38%	30%	28%	23%

 

Share of Texas Republican Voters who Say Each of the Following Activities is Safe
(University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polling)

Among Republicans	June  2021	April 2021	February 2021	October 2020	June 2020
Go grocery shopping	93%	93%	88%	93%	84%
Get a haircut	92%	90%	83%	84%	81%
Go to work	93%	88%	84%	83%	77%
Attend Church	86%	87%	75%	77%	70%
Eat at a restaurant	92%	86%	77%	79%	75%
Stay in a hotel	87%	86%	76%	77%	58%
Send your child to school	90%	85%	77%	73%	58%
Go to a shopping mall	85%	82%	70%	71%	55%
Attend a sporting event or concert at an outdoor stadium	81%	76%	60%	62%	48%
Fly on an airplane	76%	73%	55%	57%	43%
Go to a movie theater	75%	72%	60%	56%	43%
Go to a gym or health club	76%	72%	59%	56%	48%
Attend a sporting event or concert in an indoor arena	70%	65%	48%	49%	35%
Go to a bar or club	69%	63%	51%	46%	38%

 

Share of Texas Democratic Voters who Say Each of the Following Activities is Safe
(University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polling)

Among Democrats	June  2021	April 2021	February 2021	October 2020	June 2020
Go grocery shopping	84%	76%	66%	68%	58%
Get a haircut	76%	65%	49%	47%	34%
Stay in a hotel	69%	64%	45%	46%	35%
Go to work	72%	59%	45%	44%	32%
Send your child to school	59%	43%	31%	14%	9%
Go to a shopping mall	57%	41%	21%	24%	15%
Eat at a restaurant	63%	40%	29%	30%	21%
Attend church	45%	30%	17%	20%	10%
Fly on an airplane	44%	29%	21%	18%	9%
Attend a sporting event or concert at an outdoor stadium	47%	25%	17%	17%	10%
Go to a movie theater	41%	22%	14%	17%	10%
Go to a gym or health club	34%	21%	12%	12%	9%
Attend a sporting event or concert in an indoor arena	27%	11%	7%	8%	5%
Go to a bar or club	26%	11%	7%	8%	6%

 

Share of White Texas Voters who Say Each of the Following Activities is Safe
(University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polling)

Among White Voters	June  2021	April 2021	February 2021	October 2020	June 2020
Go grocery shopping	95%	91%	82%	85%	75%
Get a haircut	91%	86%	73%	74%	65%
Stay in a hotel	87%	82%	68%	69%	56%
Go to work	90%	81%	71%	71%	62%
Send your child to school	83%	75%	64%	55%	42%
Eat at a restaurant	88%	73%	62%	64%	54%
Go to a shopping mall	82%	68%	53%	55%	40%
Attend church	75%	67%	53%	57%	48%
Attend a sporting event or concert at an outdoor stadium	75%	62%	45%	49%	34%
Fly on an airplane	71%	59%	44%	45%	30%
Go to a movie theater	68%	57%	41%	41%	34%
Go to a gym or health club	68%	55%	42%	41%	34%
Attend a sporting event or concert in an indoor arena	59%	48%	32%	34%	26%
Go to a bar or club	58%	46%	35%	32%	25%

 

Share of Black Texas Voters who Say Each of the Following Activities is Safe
(University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polling)

Among Black Voters	June  2021	April 2021	February 2021	October 2020	June 2020
Go grocery shopping	83%	75%	70%	72%	70%
Get a haircut	69%	63%	48%	48%	41%
Go to work	66%	62%	52%	51%	42%
Stay in a hotel	61%	59%	49%	45%	43%
Go to a shopping mall	60%	56%	38%	39%	34%
Attend church	55%	43%	35%	33%	27%
Send your child to school	54%	40%	39%	27%	23%
Eat at a restaurant	59%	39%	33%	36%	36%
Go to a gym or health club	40%	36%	26%	25%	25%
Fly on an airplane	42%	35%	33%	33%	23%
Attend a sporting event or concert at an outdoor stadium	46%	35%	33%	29%	18%
Go to a movie theater	38%	29%	29%	30%	27%
Attend a sporting event or concert in an indoor arena	35%	23%	19%	21%	14%
Go to a bar or club	30%	18%	21%	25%	20%

 

Share of Hispanic Texas Voters who Say Each of the Following Activities is Safe
(University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polling)

Among Hispanic Voters	June 2021	April 2021	February 2021	October 2020	June 2020
Go grocery shopping	77%	73%	73%	74%	61%
Get a haircut	75%	62%	58%	56%	54%
Go to work	76%	61%	57%	53%	47%
Stay in a hotel	69%	60%	52%	52%	40%
Eat at a restaurant	67%	53%	49%	48%	41%
Go to a shopping mall	59%	50%	40%	37%	30%
Attend church	55%	47%	41%	40%	32%
Send your child to school	65%	43%	45%	28%	24%
Fly on an airplane	46%	40%	33%	24%	22%
Go to a movie theater	50%	39%	33%	30%	19%
Attend a sporting event or concert at an outdoor stadium	50%	36%	31%	29%	24%
Go to a gym or health club	41%	31%	28%	23%	20%
Go to a bar or club	37%	30%	18%	16%	18%
Attend a sporting event or concert in an indoor arena	35%	27%	24%	20%	12%

 

Evaluations

Respondents were asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of how each of the following is handling the coronavirus/COVID-19?"

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