Public opinion is not with the anti-vaxxer movement, and that’s bad news for the Republican Party

Reuters

Aaron Blake -

Mask mandates have fallen in popularity in recent months, apparently thanks in large part to vaccinated people who support the concept but thought getting the shots would absolve them of that responsibility, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially advised. 

But when it comes to both vaccine mandates and the methods to fight mask mandates that some Republicans are floating, the verdict is pretty strongly against the GOP. 

The Economist and YouGov released a new poll Wednesday asking Americans whether they would support vaccine mandates for a number of groups. And in every case the survey asked about, there was majority — and often 2-to-1 — support: 

Medical providers: 65-21 in favor 

Teachers: 61-24 

Police: 60-25 

Military: 59-24 

Federal employees: 56-26 

College students: 55-27 

The survey even tested K-12 students who were eligible for the vaccines, and Americans said 51-30 that they supported a vaccine requirement. 

The finding on medical providers is particularly timely, given that the Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will direct all nursing homes to require vaccination or lose their Medicare and Medicaid funds. 

That move also comes after Republican governors have sought to use government funding in another way — to fend off mask mandates — with considerably less public support. (Read more)

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