Trouble for Evers? Wisconsin residents increasingly see state headed in wrong direction

The latest Marquette Law School Poll shows people have changed their minds about the coronavirus and the future of Wisconsin.

The poll, released Wednesday, shows nearly twice as many people in the state believe Wisconsin is headed in the wrong direction compared to last year.

“A majority of respondents, 51%, say things in Wisconsin are on the wrong track, while 38% say things are headed in the right direction,” the poll states. “When this was last asked, in late March 2020, 61% said things were headed in the right direction and 30% said they were on the wrong track.”

Pollsters say 60% of people asked responded state government in Wisconsin is broken.

As for the state’s response to the coronavirus, most people asked continue to assert the state handled the coronavirus outbreak well. But more people now say business shutdowns and government-imposed lockdowns were a bad idea.

“Looking back to the closing of businesses and schools last year, 62% say this was an appropriate response to the pandemic, while 35% say it was an overreaction that did more harm than good,” pollsters reported. “Initial support for the shutdowns in March 2020 was much higher. At that time, 86% said the shutdown was appropriate and 10% said it was an overreaction.”

Gov. Tony Evers’ approval rating remains steady in the new poll.

“Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers job approval stands at 50%, while 43% disapprove. When last measured in October 2020, 50% approved and 43% disapproved,” the poll notes. “Approval of Evers’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic is 54%, with 39% disapproving. In October 2020, 52% approved and 45% disapproved.”

The poll also asked about voter ID, which 73% of people support, and Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johsnon, who is underwater with Democrats at the moment but widely supported by Republicans.

Marquette Law School says the poll interviewed 807 registered Wisconsin voters by landline or cell phone from Aug. 3-8, 2021. The margin of error is +/-3.8 percentage points for the full sample. For half-sample items, the margin of error is +/-5.4 percentage points