People would have been more open to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine if the government did not mandate it for its employees, a Cato Institute and YouGov poll suggests.
The online poll of 2,000 people shows 67 percent indicated they had received at least one dose of the vaccine, 8.7 percent of respondents said they were taking a “wait and see” approach, while 3 percent said they would get the shot if required, and 17.5 percent said they were opposed to the vaccine altogether.
Among the unvaccinated, 74 percent said they would be opposed to getting the vaccine if not getting it meant some kind of financial penalty, such as higher health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees.
That response is unsurprising, say Jeffrey Singer, M.D. and Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute.
“These results are consistent with the effects of a similar health insurance surcharge,” write Singer and Cannon in the Orange County Register. “Obamacare allows health insurers to charge tobacco smokers 50 percent more than non-smokers. Research suggests those surcharges backfire by leading smokers to drop not smoking, but health insurance.”
Other Poll Results
The poll revealed those most likely to get the vaccine were white women over the age of 65 living in the West with a household income of $100k or more and a college degree, who identify as Democrat and very liberal.
Those more likely to be against getting the vaccine were white men, aged 18-29, with no college degree and a household income under $50k a year, who live in the South and identify as Republican and very conservative.
Cato Institute/YouGov Poll on COVID-19 Vaccine Compliance
Total Polled: 2,000
Date: September 2 -13, 2021
One vaccine dose: 67 percent
Unvaccinated: 33 percent
Open to getting the vaccine but have not done so: 15 percent
Of the unvaccinated group:
Reject vaccine altogether: 17.5 percent
Wait and see approach: 8.7 percent
Only get if required: 3.0 percent
Source: https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2021-09/CATO0015Tabs_vaccines%201.pdf
AnneMarie Schieber (amschieber@heartland.org) is the managing editor of Health Care News.