Analysis: Vaccine mandates are politically risky, but may work
Vaccine mandates are likely to be a politically divisive position and split the country along political lines in a way that vaccines overall do not. They could, however, get more people vaccinated.
Just 51% of Americans supported such a move. It was opposed by 46%.
The same polling indicated that a majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (69%) were against such a move, while a majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (69%) were in favor.
The same poll actually had a slight majority of Republicans (51%) who said they had been vaccinated with at least one dose. Other polls have it even higher.
These numbers may actually underestimate opposition to vaccine mandates. A clear majority, 61%, of those currently employed, said they don’t want their employers to institute a vaccine requirement to work.
It’s not difficult to see how there could be a real pushback against vaccine mandates if they start getting put into place across the country.
But here’s the thing: pushing for real penalties for those who don’t get vaccinated could actually get people to take the vaccine in a way that nothing so far has.
Just 14% of the adult population say they’ll never get a vaccine in the Kaiser poll.
A clear majority of unvaccinated adults at this point either say they will get a vaccine dose as soon as possible, are waiting and seeing before getting one or won’t do so unless forced.
Further, among those employed and unvaccinated, just 50% said they would quit their job if their employer forced them to get a vaccine. Another 42% said they would get a vaccine. This comes even though many of these employees didn’t want an employer mandate put into place.
Employer requirements for vaccines could have a double impact. They would get people to take a vaccine who were thinking of getting a vaccine and hadn’t yet. They would also get some people who weren’t thinking of getting a vaccine to get one too.
The question, of course, is whether employers and politicians feel the need to take a politically risky position when it comes to Covid-19 vaccinations. If cases continue to rise in the United States, they just may.
