The Results are In! How Maui feels about the COVID-19 Pandemic

We’ve launched a follow-up survey. Click Here to Participate

To gain a better understanding of how the Maui community feels about the COVID-19 pandemic, we asked our readers some questions. The survey was active from April 20th to April 24th and broken into four categories: Rules & Enforcement, Business/Employment, Daily Life, and Media Coverage.

All participants were required to verify their information via email, in an effort to ensure accuracy. Of the 400+ verified reponses here’s what we found:

Rules & Enforcement

Based on our survey results, residents err on the side of caution. Just under 70% of the respondents felt the traffic checkpoints were at least helpful, but were against (or neutral) when it came to banning walking on beaches. 62% of the responses felt church drive-thru services were, at minimum, slightly concerning.

As for politics, the feelings were split. 51% believe Hawaii politicians have not managed the COVID-19 crisis very well.

Business & Employment Issues

If we had to pick one issue that an overwhelming majority of Maui agrees on, it would be the concern for our small businesses. Only 2% answered that they had no worries about the survival of Maui’s small businesses.

When it comes to the hot-button topic of unemployment, around 40% answered that they have filed for unemployment. Of the participants that filed for unemployment, most said the process was difficult to impossible. Interestingly enough, 74% of our respondents answered they were financially stable enough to get by during the temporary closure of tourism.

Daily Life

When it comes to daily life, hanging out seems to be the popular past-time that everyone’s missing. As far as staying in, most people are getting out at least once a week. With that said, 85% see COVID-19 as at least somewhat of a threat to Maui.

In a much lighter topic, everyone who answered the survey uses toilet paper. Only 27% of you all might be TP hoarders.

Media Coverage

For our last questions, we wanted to know what stories matter to you. The answers were a “mixed bag”, but fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Be sure to check out our “Talking Story” and “Real Talk” video series for interviews with local community and business leaders.

We’ll admit, the last question definitely has some bias. Since the survey was conducted by an online news source, it’s not surprising that 88% of you answered in our favor. Either way, MAHALO for your readership!

Disclaimer: Maui Now provides no warranty regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, or reliability of any information provided in these results. Data in this article was provided by readers who participated via online survey. Participants were required to verify their e-mail address, and each verified e-mail address accounts for one survey result.