Poll: Little Can Be Done to Persuade Unvaccinated Americans to Get the Shot

Protestors opposed to coronavirus vaccine mandates and vaccine passports by the government
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Little can be done to persuade unvaccinated Americans to get the coronavirus shot, a CNBC/Change Research poll released this week found.

Change Research conducted the survey August 30 to September 2, days before President Biden’s coronavirus address, where he announced sweeping vaccine mandates and scolded unvaccinated Americans, warning that “patience is running thin.”

The survey found that the vast majority of unvaccinated Americans, 83 percent, do not plan on getting the jab. Moreover, the survey, taken among 1,775 respondents, also found that there is little that can be done to persuade them to do so. The vast majority, or 84 percent, of the unvaccinated, said they would not get the shot, even if the vaccines had no side effects, and 87 percent said employer mandates would not move them to take action either.

“Just 5% and 4% of respondents, respectively, said those things would make them ‘much more likely’ to change their minds, the survey shows,” CNBC reported.

Just over one-third of unvaccinated respondents attributed their hesitancy to distrust of the federal government, and the same figure, 34 percent, cited concerns related to side effects. What is more, a majority of unvaccinated respondents, 53 percent, suggested they were “less likely” to get the vaccine following U.S. health officials advocating for booster shots. Additionally, just two percent said family pressure to get the shot would make a difference.

“Less than 10% of unvaccinated respondents said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if the delta variant were more problematic in their community, and 7% said they would get vaccinated if asked by Trump,” CNBC reported.

The findings repeat the running theme that has emerged over the last several months, that those who remain unvaccinated are firm in their decision and will not be persuaded by government mandates or other forms of coercion. An Economist/YouGov survey released in early August wielded similar results.

As Breitbart News reported:

Only six percent of unvaccinated respondents said they would get the jab if their doctor urged them too, while 74 percent said they would not, and 20 percent remained unsure. Similarly, only four percent said they would get the jab if their state’s governor urged them to, while 81 percent said no.

In what is perhaps more telling, 75 percent of the unvaccinated said they would not receive the jab, even if their employer required them.

Overall, the vast majority of unvaccinated Americans rejected the various scenarios of persuasion, which also included a $100 incentive, (78 percent said no), requirements for travel (75 percent said no), and a push from former President Donald Trump (84 percent said no). Even If the vaccines were fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 58 percent said they would still not receive the jab, while 30 percent said they are not sure, and 13 percent said they would.

The survey comes as Biden pushes mass vaccine mandates on federal employees, as well as private businesses.

“My job as president is to protect all Americans,” Biden said Thursday, announcing that the Department of Labor “is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees that together employ over 80 million workers to ensure their work forces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week.”

Biden’s announcement triggered backlash from Republican figures across the nation, who are now vowing to fight against the overreach.

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