54 Percent of Minnesotans Approve of Biden’s, Walz’s Handling of COVID-19, Survey Says

Then-Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, left, is greeted by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with an elbow as he arrives in Duluth, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

(KNSI) – Minnesotans have a generally favorable view of how President Joe Biden and Governor Tim Walz are handling the pandemic, a new poll from SurveyUSA suggests.

The survey of 600 people conducted earlier this month found that 54 percent of respondents approve or strongly approve of how both Biden and Walz are handling the coronavirus. Responses vary across different demographics — 58 percent of participants who identified as “very liberal” said they strongly approve of Walz’s coronavirus approach, while only 17 percent of “very conservative” participants gave the same answer. Only 7 percent of respondents who said they voted for Former President Donald Trump in 2020 said they strongly approve of Walz’s approach to the pandemic.

Participants were also asked if Minnesota is striking the right balance between “keeping you healthy” and “putting people back to work” or if the state is focusing too much on one or the other. Forty-five percent said the state is striking the right balance, while 27 percent say the state is too focused on health. Ten percent said Minnesota is too focused on putting people back to work during the pandemic. Respondents in the Twin Cities were more likely to say the state is striking the right balance (52 percent) than people in other regions.

The survey also asked if participants had been vaccinated for COVID-19 — 23 percent said yes. In the unvaccinated group, 56 percent of respondents said they plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19. This positive response was strongest among older Minnesotans, with 76 percent of unvaccinated participants over age 65 saying they will get the vaccine.

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