Public Expects 2nd Covid Surge, But Many Still Want Some Venues Opened | Monmouth University Polling Institute

69% of the public thinks we will see a “second wave” of coronavirus.

What percent of the public has expertise to determine the likelihood of a second wave?

Probably a limit approaching zero percent.

This poll is actually measuring the success of prior scary messaging by a media focused on finding the scariest way of speculating, rather than reporting the news. This shows the messaging – there “could be” a second-wave – has been highly successful.

Most polls ask the public for an opinion on subjects about which they rarely have expertise to form their own opinion. The public just regurgitates what it has been told. Consequently, polls are primarily measuring the success of prior propaganda messaging and nothing more. I wrote about this before.

Public opinion polls of this type are basically stupid and become fodder for more stupid news reporting. These are what I call “factoids” – they sound like something meaningful but are irrelevant.