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As we continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of Americans favor the President's vaccine mandates.
MEDICAL ECONOMICS
Six in 10 Americans support the vaccine mandates announced by President Joe Biden, although support is divided sharply along party lines, a survey finds.
According to the Axios-Ipsos poll, conducted September 10 to 13, 2021, 60% of Americans favor requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for federal employees and businesses and organizations with 100 employees or more. However, only about 30% of Republicans support the requirements compared with more than 80% of Democrats and 60% of independents.
From a political perspective, the support among independents is especially important, according to Cliff Young, president of Ipsos US Public Affairs. “The No. 1 issue for Biden has been COVID, and he’s been losing ground on it, especially among independents. This is an initiative that could help bolster him there,” Young said in a statement.
The poll also found that increasing numbers of Americans are experiencing vaccine and masking requirements at work and in public places. Twenty-five percent of respondents said their employers now require all employees be vaccinated compared with 16% in a survey conducted August 10 to 13.
Similarly, 58% of respondents said their employers require mask wearing at work, up from 51% in the August survey, and 43% said their state or local government requires masks to be worn in public places, up from just 33% in August.
Also, there is growing concern over the spread of the Delta coronavirus, with 53% of respondents saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned compared with 35% in late June. A plurality of Americans (38%) said the federal government’s top priority should be getting more people vaccinated, rather than providing booster shots (28%) or sending vaccines to developing countries (19%).
Interestingly, support for school masking mandates has increased slightly; 70% of respondents supported them compared with 69% in mid-August. Similarly, support for childhood vaccination is up but still lukewarm; 44% of respondents, compared with 38% in mid-August, said they were “very” or “somewhat” likely to get their child vaccinated when a vaccine becomes available for the child’s age group. ❒
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