U.S. Adults Generally Support Proof of Vaccination to Participate in Public Activities

On Tuesday, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City will become the first major city in the country to require proof of vaccinations for people to enjoy dining indoors, go to a gym, or attend some public events. 

While this isn’t necessarily the same as requiring state-issued vaccine passports, which resulted in mixed feelings across the general population according to prior CivicScience research, de Blasio’s mandate may still reverberate in major cities across the country, especially as the Delta variant of the virus continues to spread. 

In the immediate wake of de Blasio’s new requirement, CivicScience took a pulse of sentiment regarding vaccine mandates in a variety of scenarios. As it turns out, just over half of U.S. adults agree that proof of vaccination should be required to participate in every-day activities. The only exception to this trend is visiting retail locations, where just under half of respondents feel that vaccinations should be required.

And this sentiment about proof of vaccination is strongly driven by age, with older respondents being more in favor of a mandate, while younger populations feel more mixed.

Clearly, the oldest populations, which are generally the most vulnerable to the coronavirus, are most supportive of everyone showing evidence of inoculation, while those younger have less strong opinions. 

Interestingly, 30- to 44-year-olds seem to have the most opposition to vaccine mandates for restaurants, gyms, and events. This data may back up reports of the highest transmission rates occurring in those spaces, and among those populations. 

When looking at specific subgroups of the population, we see some interesting trends as well. 

Those who remained working as usual or more over the past year are the least likely to agree (and most likely to disagree with) vaccine mandates to go to work. Those whose job status was more directly affected by the coronavirus, however, demonstrate more support for mandates. 

Similarly, those who have been comfortable with the idea of dining out at any point over the last year of the pandemic are the most likely to disagree with providing proof of vaccination to dine in at restaurants now.

Overall, vaccine mandates for public spaces currently stands as more popular than not, though hesitancy still remains among certain pockets of the general population. CivicScience will continue to check in on public sentiment as more cities and states inevitably reconsider their guidelines and safety procedures.