A new Vanderbilt poll shows that most people in Nashville are supportive of Mayor John Cooper’s social distancing efforts.
The poll, released Thursday, also shows Cooper’s approval rating is especially high during this time.
The Vanderbilt Poll-Nashville is typically conducted once a year. To get these results, the university surveyed about 1,036 registered Davidson County voters from April 9 to May 10.
The latest results have Cooper with an 80% approval rating. That’s the highest approval rating of any mayor since the first time Vanderbilt did a poll specifically about Nashville in 2015.
“Local residents are understandably anxious about the pandemic, but they are very pleased by the response of local officials so far,” said John Geer, the poll’s director. “Mayor Cooper rightly gets a lot of credit for how he’s handled the COVID-19 crisis. This support will be invaluable as he wrestles with some difficult decisions ahead concerning budgets and getting the city back on track.”
Even Cooper’s most controversial measure — closing down non-essential businesses — was strongly backed by residents, 85% of whom say they approve.
But Cooper was not the only one with high marks. According to Vanderbilt, Metro’s agencies received “record-high” approval ratings.
Metro Schools received the biggest jump in support — it went from a 37% approval rating to 68%. Director of Metro Schools Adrienne Battle was rated even higher, with 79% of respondents saying they approve of the job she’s done so far.
High Economic Anxieties
But the coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on many Tennesseans, and that’s reflected on this year’s polls with many residents saying they worry about their future.
According to the poll, 57% of the people surveyed said they felt very or moderately worried about not having enough for an emergency and 54% worry about losing their jobs.
You can read the poll here.
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