Floridians Support Masks for Students, But Many Oppose Mandates

(Bloomberg) -- A majority of Floridians agree that public school students and staff should wear masks, but many also believe that parents should have the ultimate right to choose, according to a new poll from Florida Atlantic University.

About 66% of those surveyed said they sided with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending facial coverings in schools, according to the Aug. 12-16 poll of 500 people by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative. About 30% disagreed and 4% were unsure.

But 51% also said parents should make the final decision, according to the survey, which has a 4.4 percentage point margin of error. Forty percent were against parental choice and 9% were uncertain.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has clashed with defiant school boards over his opposition to mask mandates, arguing that parents should have the right to choose whether their kids mask up. But the CDC says masks are most effective when everyone wears them and the Sunshine State is in the middle of a viral wave that has sent Covid-related hospitalizations to an all-time high just as schools are reopening.

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