Most Michigan voters wear masks, plan to get vaccinated, and support Whitmer's restrictions

A majority of Michigan voters say they're taking COVID-19 seriously, plan to get a vaccine, always wear masks in public, and believe Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is doing a better job combating the virus than the Republican-led Legislature, according to a new statewide poll.

The survey of 600 registered Michigan voters was commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber and conducted by the Glengariff Group Inc. between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4.

Of those surveyed, 52.5% said they plan to get a vaccine when it’s available, while 30% said they won’t get vaccinated. Another 13.2% “said it depends.” Democrats are far more likely to get vaccinated.

“The Chamber is confident that support for the vaccine will continue to rise when it is successfully administered to frontline workers and those most at risk from the virus,” Sandy K. Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, said in a statement. “We are committed to doing our part to promote an orderly and responsible vaccination program because that will help keep businesses open and put people back to work.”

Only a third of Black voters said they will get the vaccine, compared to 57.8% of white voters.

“This reluctance reflects the mistrust caused by past governmental abuse related to vaccines and public health trials,” the chamber said in the study.

Nearly 80% of voters said they always wear a mask in public. Another 13.3% said they wear a mask most of the time, and 3.5% said they do occasionally.

Democrats are far more likely to wear a mask in public. Of voters who identify strongly as Democrats, 95.9% said they always wear masks in public, compared to 33.5% of voters who identify strongly as Republicans.

The poll also found that most voters believed Whitmer was handling the pandemic better than state lawmakers. Of those surveyed, 63.3% said Whitmer is “aggressively working on getting the pandemic under control and protecting public health.” Only 29% of voters said the same about the Legislature.

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