Surveys on Covid-19 and George Floyd

It’s always an honor to present to chamber members, as time is precious. The current events have impacted our business community in ways we couldn’t have anticipated and staff at the history center take our role in curating those experiences seriously. We presented results we received from three COVID-19 surveys and one survey relating to the death of George Floyd and the ensuing events in the Twin Cities.
 
The COVID-19 responses showed the path of personal reaction from “interesting and fun” in the first few weeks to “fatigue and conflict” most recently. The number of respondents dropped off from 250 to 80, indicating either a return to work and less leisure time online or a loss of interest in engaging with the subject.
 
The results from the George Floyd survey elicited a much more polarized view of the respondents, who were distributed evenly between ages 30 and 89. Most of the respondents admitted to not changing their views of the circumstances, despite also saying their had conversations with family and friends. Many knew people directly affected by the protesting and riots, while far fewer had direct contact with any law enforcement officers present on the scene. The comments used inflammatory language and left little room for the opposing view, regardless of which “side” people chose to identify with.
 
The Anoka County Historical Society will share these comments with community groups in the county who wish to hold conversations with residents. We hope the sharing of stories and opinions in this present moment will create context for those in the future writing our history.