More than half of Americans believe that unvaccinated people should not be allowed in the office or use public spaces.
A growing number of people in the United States want the coronavirus vaccine, and a majority also support restrictions on workplace, lifestyle and travel for those not vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a poll released Friday .
The national poll conducted by Reuters / Ipsos found that 54 percent of respondents said they were “very interested” in being vaccinated. This was compared to a survey in January, when 41 percent showed the same interest, and 38 percent in a poll in May 2020 before a coronavirus vaccine was developed.
Amid a limited amount of vaccination doses, most states currently still prioritize frontline workers, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions.
According to the poll, 55 percent agreed that non-vaccinated people should not exercise at public gyms, enter cinemas or attend public concerts. [Lucy Nicholson/Reuters]
In an important speech on Thursday, US President Joe Biden called on US states to open vaccinations to all adults by May, to pave the way for economic and social life. Independence Day, to resume.
Interest in the vaccine has increased among whites and racial minorities in recent years, with about six out of ten whites and five out of ten members of minority groups now showing high interest.
According to the poll, 27 percent of Americans said they were not interested in being vaccinated, relatively unchanged from a similar poll presented in May.
But predictions of the social challenges that may emerge as the U.S. begins to pull out of the year-long pandemic, the latest poll showed, is that a majority of Americans want to limit the ways in which unvaccinated people can mix in public.
Seventy-two percent of Americans, according to the poll, said it was important to know “if the people around me were vaccinated”.
People waving after leaving a Disneyland parking lot turned into a mass vaccination room in Anaheim, California, USA [File: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters]
A majority – 62 percent – said that not vaccinated people should be allowed to travel by plane. Fifty-five percent agreed that people who had not been vaccinated should practice at public gyms, attend cinemas or public concerts.
When asked about the workplace, 60 percent of Americans said they wanted to work for an employer “that requires everyone to get a coronavirus vaccine before returning to the office,” and 56 percent thought workers who were not vaccinated is not, must stay at home.
Companies may soon feel increasing pressure to address the issues. About 18 percent of the U.S. population has already received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine.
Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the response to the poll was meaningful, given the social restrictions placed on everyone over the past year.
“People say, ‘If I get vaccinated, it’s going to change my life,’ Adalja said. ” And if you are not vaccinated, it’s your choice. But you are going to be in a different status because you may be the carrier of this virus so that you can spread it to another person who has not been vaccinated. ”