A new Axios-Momentive poll released Friday showed that Democrats are more concerned about a COVID-19 outbreak at the Winter Olympics than China’s human rights violations.
When asked what, if any, concerns they had about Beijing hosting the Olympic Games, 60% of Democrats said a COVID outbreak, while 58% said China’s human rights record.
Republicans were far less concerned about a potential virus outbreak than Democrats, with only 35% citing it as a concern. The percent of Republican respondents concerned about China’s human rights violations, 56%, was just slightly lower than the response from Democratic respondents
Republicans were more concerned than Democrats about the potential surveillance of participants and how the Olympics might boost China’s international status. (RELATED: China Quietly Rolls Out Communist Community Centers Meant To Turn Civilians Into Model Citizens)
Performers take part in the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium on February 04, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Less than half of respondents said the Games should go on while the Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading, while 34% said they should be postponed and 16% said they should be canceled altogether. Additionally, 73% approved of President Joe Biden’s decision to conduct a diplomatic boycott of the Games, though about the same amount were doubtful it would make a difference.
Seventy percent of respondents said they disapproved of China hosting the Games, but half still said they planned to watch. Democrats were the most likely to say they plan to watch at least some of the Olympics at 61%, compared to 45% and 36% for Republicans and Independents, respectively.
“People aren’t happy that the Olympics are in China, but it’s still the Olympics,” Laura Wronski, senior manager for research science at Momentive, told Axios.
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