There is no doubt that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has been hard on the whole Country, bringing social, political and economic repercussions in all the states. Texans are feeling especially vulnerable and pessimistic about their state’s current situation and future, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll.
The UT/TT survey of 1,200 registered voters that was conducted online from Oct. 22-31 – with a margin error of +/- 2.83 points – shows the general sentiment of Texans in these difficult times.
When talking about the national economy both Republicans and Democrats shared the same sentiment that it was worse than last year. According to the Texas Tribune, 55% of respondents said the national economy was indeed worse, that figure includes 25% of Democrats, 51% of independents and 80% of Republicans. 21% said the state economy is doing better than a year ago, and 34% said it is about the same.
“When it comes to evaluations of the state economy, Democrats and Republicans view it equally negatively relative to a year ago,” said Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. “It just reflects the reality on the ground here, that no political posturing can paper over, which is the fact that we’re still recovering from the economic consequences of the pandemic. And that has hit everybody regardless of your partisan affiliation.”
When asking Texas voters across racial groups about their economical situation, the majority reported they were doing “about the same” as a year ago. This included white, Black, Hispanic, and Asian respondents.
“You can’t look at these data and say, ‘Yeah, we’ve come out of the pandemic stronger.’ Or that we’re even out of the pandemic as far as all of its consequences are concerned.” Blank said, as reported by The Texas Tribune.
When asking Texas voters about the State and the Country’s direction, the majority thought they were both headed in the wrong direction.
48% of voters said the state is on the wrong track while 70% said the United States direction is even worse. That last poll includes 45% of Democratic respondents, despite them controlling Congress and the White House.
When being asked what the biggest problems the state and the country were facing, Texas voters couldn’t seem to agree on one. The biggest problems mentioned for the country were; “political corruption/leadership” and coronavirus. While the states biggest problem seemed to be; border security and immigration.
