More than 60 percent of Americans support mask mandates and tougher rules against those who refuse to get vaccinated. Those results and a number of interesting insights into the general thinking of the U.S. population come from a new poll by USA TODAY-Ipsos. The results come from a survey of 1,088 adults taken Aug. 17-18.
The vast majority of those surveyed view the protection of “the greater good” as being more important than “personal freedom” with regards to mask-wearing and vaccine requirements.
From USA TODAY:
An overwhelming 72%-28% of those surveyed by USA TODAY and Ipsos called mask mandates "a matter of health and safety," not an infringement on personal liberty. By 61%-39%, they endorsed requiring vaccinations except for those with a medical or religious exemption.
The poll also showed 1 in 5 Americans say they have not gotten the COVID-19 shot and don’t plan to anytime soon. This highlights the wide divide across the country between those who are vaccinated and the unvaccinated. This also comes as the number of cases diagnosed and deaths recorded an increase, with most of those results coming in communities that have low vaccination rates.
Seventy percent of Americans say that people have the right to choose not to get the vaccine, but that those same people then don’t have the right to be around those who are vaccinated. Those polled overwhelmingly supported the rights of businesses, employers, colleges, restaurants, airlines, and other establishments to refuse access or service to unvaccinated people.