As expected, individuals’ feelings on mask mandates fell along party lines, with 85% of Democrats, 66% of independents, and 32% of Republicans supporting mask mandates for all students and staff at their child’s school.
- But rather than states where school mask mandates have been banned, including in Texas and Florida, opposition to school mask mandates is highest in Colorado (37%), Iowa (44%), Minnesota (38%), and Ohio (43%).
- Drilling down even deeper, fewer than half (46%) of Republicans in Texas —which has been especially hard hit by COVID in recent weeks — oppose all mask mandates. In comparison, 70% of Colorado Republicans oppose the mandates.
- In Florida, more than half of Republican parents (52%) say they oppose all mask mandates. In comparison, Republican parents oppose the mandates by margins ranging from 2:1 to 3:1 in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois, the poll found.
What they’re saying: “The cross-state variability in Republican sentiment is notable,” Jon Cohen, the chief research officer for Momentive told Axios. “School politics is ultimately local too, so a deeper dive within the states is a clear next step.”