Poll Measures Divide Between Vaccinated, Unvaccinated

Share of those who say they definitely won't get the shots hasn't changed during pandemic
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 4, 2021 4:11 PM CDT
Poll: Delta Hasn't Changed Behaviors of Unvaccinated
Florida residents wait in line outside the Duval County Health Department to be tested for the coronavirus on Wednesday.   (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP)

There's reason to think opposition to coronavirus vaccines is starting to weaken. "Daily vaccination rates have more than doubled in eight states" with high numbers of COVID-19 infections, a White House official said Monday. But until now, the incidence of staunch opposition has been a constant. A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll found 14% of those surveyed said they would "definitely not" get vaccinated. That's been consistent since Kaiser began the poll in December. The latest one was taken in mid-July, after the delta variant arrived in the US but before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidance to recommend wearing a mask indoors in places where coronavirus transmission rates are high, NBC reports. The poll of 1,517 adults also found vaccinated people followed different behaviors than unvaccinated people.

When they're in public, just over 60% of vaccinated people wear masks and avoid large crowds because of the delta variant's spread. On the other hand, 37% of the unvaccinated said the variant has led them to mask up, and 40% avoid big gatherings because of it. Political party is a reliable indicator, too. "Majorities of Republicans say they never wear a mask outdoors, in crowded outdoor places, at work, or in a grocery store," the report says. "Democrats are more likely to report wearing a mask at least most of the time in all of these locations." Those who have not had the shots are more likely to say the pandemic is not as serious as news media outlets say it is, per NBC. With the recent increase in vaccinations, and as more people know someone who's contracted COVID-19, the pollsters said their surveys could show changes soon. "I think there is still a chance that circumstances on the ground could accelerate people's desire to go out and get the vaccine," said the poll director. (More coronavirus vaccine stories.)

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