Gov. Tim Walz's approval rating has fallen to 57%, dipping eight percentage points during a summer of urban unrest and a continuing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll.
The survey of likely Minnesota voters also showed that as the coronavirus case count has climbed, so have concerns about the virus.
With 97,638 cases and 2,015 deaths recorded in Minnesota, more people said they know family members, friends or acquaintances who have tested positive. And the percentage of people worried about getting seriously ill has ticked up since a poll in May. However, the latest results show many are hesitant about quickly using a vaccine if one becomes available.
If a COVID-19 vaccine became available with government approval and scientists' support, 48% said they would immediately get vaccinated while 43% said they would not. Nine percent were unsure.
Democrats were more likely to say they would seek a vaccine, with 54% saying they would immediately get inoculated, compared to 42% of Republicans. The political divide was even more pronounced on concerns about becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus.
Among Republicans, 30% said they were either very or somewhat worried about getting sick, compared to 71% of Democrats. Younger people between 18 and 34 were more likely to be concerned about serious illness than people in older age groups.
Overall, 51% said they were worried about becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus, up seven percentage points from a May Minnesota Poll. The heightened concern comes as two-thirds of Minnesotans polled said they know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, compared with slightly more than a third in May.
Dave Kranz, a retiree from Waconia, knows four people who tested positive, including a man who died from the virus. His children work in health care, and he is very concerned about them — but he said so far neither has gotten it.