Poll: Majority of Voters Support Mask Mandate ‘Punishable by Fine or Jail Time’

A majority of voters support a mask mandate in their respective states punishable by fine or jail time, a Morning Consult/Politico poll released this week showed.

“Based on what you know about the COVID-19 pandemic (coronavirus), would you support or oppose your state instituting a face mask mandate in public spaces, where not wearing a mask could be punishable by fine or jail time?” the survey asked.

The vast majority of voters, 72 percent, indicated they either “strongly” or “somewhat” support the idea. Of those, 53 percent said they would “strongly” support the idea, and 19 percent said they would “somewhat” support it. Thirteen percent said they would “strongly” oppose, eight percent said they would “somewhat” oppose, and six percent said they did not know.

As a group, baby boomers support a mask mandate with penalities the most (78 support), followed by GenXers (73 percent), Millennials (68 percent), and GenZers (63 percent).

The survey also found that Democrats are nearly twice as likely as GOP voters to ‘strongly support” a mask mandate in their state, 71 percent to Republicans’ 36 percent.

The survey was conducted among 1,991 registered voters July 17-19. The margin of error is +/- 2 percent.

The survey comes as state and local leaders nationwide implement mask mandates. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser instituted a mask mandate on Wednesday, requiring those three-years-old and up to wear a face covering in most indoor and outdoor settings.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) also announced a statewide mask mandate, which goes into effect Saturday.