Poll: Majority of Californians Support Employer Vaccine Mandates, Unvaccinated Putting People ‘at Risk’

A majority of Californians support vaccine mandates imposed by employers and believe unvaccinated people are putting them at risk, a CBS News/YouGov survey detailed Sunday found.

The survey, taken among 1,856 California adults, demonstrates the divide between the vaccinated and unvaccinated in the Golden State.

Fifty-nine percent of fully vaccinated Californians said unvaccinated people are “putting people like me and my family at risk,” and 57 percent said the unvaccinated are “being misled by bad or false information.” Only 27 percent said they respect their decision to forgo the vaccine.

Seventy-two percent of those surveyed said the rise in cases in California was preventable. Among those, 68 percent said more masks and social distancing would have helped prevent the spread of the virus, and 67 percent said more vaccinations would have as well.

The survey asked respondents if private businesses or employers should be allowed to mandate vaccines for employees. A majority, or 67 percent, said it should be allowed. Another 69 percent also said vaccines should be made mandatory for California’s healthcare workers — an action the California Department of Public Health announced earlier this month.

The survey also asked Californians if stores, restaurants, or entertainment venues should require patrons to be vaccinated as a condition to enter the facilities. A majority, or 61 percent, said they should mandate customers to be vaccinated, and 49 percent said they would be “more willing” to use or visit that business if such vaccine mandates were in place.

The survey, taken August 6-12, has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.

It comes as protests begin to bubble in California in opposition to the state’s vaccine mandates, which require healthcare workers, as well as state employees, to be vaccinated or subject themselves to weekly government testing.

“Our freedoms are being taken away right before our eyes and we have the right to choose,” Veronica Vance, a Fresno Unified employee, said.

“They’re not going to just quit their jobs but if they have to be terminated that’s what’s going to happen,” she said in reference to the vaccine mandates.