LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association (MRLA) announced on Tuesday the results of a statewide survey showing strong public support for allowing indoor dining and travel.
Results also indicated support for hospitality workers getting prioritized vaccination for COVID-19 and for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to produce a metric-driven plan to retain control over pandemic restrictions, according to a news release.
“A clear takeaway from this survey is that Michiganders are beyond ready to get back to the experiences that bring joy and meaning to their lives,” said Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the MRLA. “As we embark on spring and another Pure Michigan summer, our hospitality leaders are preparing to meet tremendous pent-up demand safely and ask that our patrons do the same so that our success is sustainable.”
Survey highlights include:
- 73.6% of respondents believe that “Governor Whitmer or the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services should be required to put forth a comprehensive plan focused on data, metrics and science that clearly demonstrates how decisions are made in relation to COVID-19 restrictions in order to retain unilateral control over the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.”
- 73.8% of self-identified Democrats support requiring a comprehensive, metric-driven plan to retain control of COVID-19 restrictions. 69.4% of Republicans support this.
- More than nine in 10 respondents believe hospitality workers should have prioritized access to a COVID-19 vaccine, including 97.4% of self-identified Democrats.
- About 65.7% of respondents have already dined or are comfortable dining in a restaurant right now. Another 9% say they will do so once they receive a vaccine.
- 64% of respondents believe restaurants should be open at 100% capacity indoors now or when vaccines are made available to everyone eligible.
- 54% of Michiganders plan to take a vacation that would require an overnight stay in a hotel or similar accommodation in the next six months.
The survey was commissioned as part of the Marketing Resource Group, LLC Spring Poll, which was conducted March 18-22 with a 600 person sample and a 4.0 percent margin of error.
Read the full survey results here.
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