A new LSU poll of 757 Louisiana residents found 42% of respondents know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, and 23% know someone who has died from it. LSU Public Policy Lab director Michael Henderson says this shows the widespread impact of the virus.
“Not just people who have directly themselves contracted the disease, but those of us who know or are connected to people who have,” said Henderson.
Louisiana’s black population has seen a disparity in the way it is impacted by the virus, and Henderson says that it is echoed in the survey as those in the black community are more likely to know someone with the disease than the overall baseline.
“The share of black Louisiana residents is about half who personally know somebody in their lives that have tested positive and that is about ten percentage points lower for white residents,” said Henderson.
Forty-percent of black residents know someone who has died from complications of COVID-19, compared to 17% of white residents.
This is the second polling of the group, which was first polled in mid to late April and again from May 20 through June 1. Sixty-two percent indicate they now wear face coverings when in public, compared to 48 percent in April. But Henderson says people are slow to get back out of their homes as 71% say they are still staying at home, compared to 81 percent in April.
“It’s not been an overwhelming response to the reopening that individuals are just out flooding stores and businesses across the state,” said Henderson.
A majority of residents are uncomfortable with activities outside of the home, with a feeling unease about air travel at 77 percent, attending large sports or entertainment events at 75 percent, and eating out at restaurants at 60 percent.
However, most respondents feel comfortable about going to the grocery store at 67 percent, going to parks at 63 percent, and visiting friends at 58 percent.
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