70% of Valley residents say they won’t return to church, gym

Maricopa County residents remain cautious about resuming their regular activities, with more than 70 percent not ready to return to activities like church, the gym, or sending their children to summer camp or daycare, according to a study conducted by WestGroup Research from May 22-27.

The study also found support for mitigation efforts, including social distancing and masks has waned over the past two months. Although a majority of Maricopa County residents agree that they follow guidelines and encourage the same of others, support for social distancing and masks has dropped from roughly 90% to 70% since early April.

These and other opinion data were revealed through an online survey, conducted with a random sample of 594 Maricopa County residents. The results provide a statistical margin of error of approximately 4 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. 

As a whole, Maricopa County residents remain cautious about returning to regular activities, with most indicating they are not likely to engage in social, entertainment or service-related activities during the month of June.

• 70 percent not likely to attend church, even with reduced seating

• 70 percent not likely to exercise at a gym or fitness center

• 69 percent not likely to attend a movie in a theater, even with reduced seating

• 69 percent not likely to fly on an airliner

Most parents are hesitant to allow kids to engage in many activities, including day care, summer or day camp, and/or club and team sports.  Conversely, a majority of parents will allow playing or socializing with other children.

• 87 percent of parents not likely to send kids to preschool or daycare in the next month

• 78 percent of parents not likely to send kids to summer day camp in the next month

• 65 percent of parents not likely to allow kids to participate in team or club sports

• 48 percent of parents not likely to send kids to school for fall session

Residents are more likely to feel comfortable in settings deemed essential.

• 95 percent are likely to shop for groceries in the next month

• 87 percent are likely to go to a big-box store like Costco in the next month

• 57 percent are likely to get a haircut at a barber shop or salon

• 26 percent are likely to get a manicure or pedicure at a salon

Attitudes about COVID-19 are mostly consistent across gender, age and income levels. However, results diverge widely along political party lines. Republicans are much more likely to engage in social and other activities, compared to those identifying as Democrats, Moderates or Independents.

In early April, 90 percent of Republicans agreed that it is important for everyone to do their part to stop the virus spread. That proportion dropped to 69 percent in the latest survey.

• 95 percent of Democrats compared to 69 percent of Republicans believe it’s important for everyone to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19, even those who are at low risk.

• 77 percent of Democrats believe Arizona is reopening too soon, compared to 19 percent of Republicans.

• 42 percent of Republicans don’t believe all or most of the COVID-19 warnings because they believe they are politically motivated. Only 4 percent of Democrats feel the same way.

• 41 percent of Republicans believe it’s okay for others to wear masks but that they should not be forced to wear one. Only 6 percent of Democrats agree.