Here Are The Republicans Most Likely To Refuse The Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds
Topline
Nearly 40% of Republicans are still hesitant about getting the Covid-19 vaccine or refuse to get it, a new Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)/Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) poll finds, though certain subsets of the GOP appear notably more likely to accept or refuse the shot based on their religion, media consumption and whether or not they believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory.
A protester holds an anti-vaccination sign as supporters of President Donald Trump rally on May 16, … [+]
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Key Facts
The poll, conducted June 7-23 among 5,123 U.S. adults, found 64% of Republican respondents are Covid-19 “vaccine accepters” who have been or plan to get vaccinated—up from 45% in March—while 18% are hesitant about getting inoculated and 19% refuse the shot (down from 32% and 23% in March, respectively).
The most likely group to refuse the Covid-19 vaccine are Republicans who consume far-right television news (46%, up from 31% in March), while 8% of those viewers are hesitant about the shot (down from 37% in March) and 45% accept it (up from 32% in March).
The Republicans who are most likely to get vaccinated are those who reject the QAnon conspiracy theory and those who consume mainstream news, with 79% and 77% of those groups identifying as “vaccine accepters,” respectively.
Republicans who are white evangelical Protestants were more likely to be against the vaccine than those of other religions, with 55% accepting the vaccine versus 67% from other religions, while 24% of evangelicals refused the shot and 21% are hesitant about it (versus 16% and 17% for other religions, respectively).
Republicans who don’t consume any television news at all were more likely to reject the Covid-19 vaccine than those who watch Fox News: Only 53% of non-news viewers accept the vaccine and 24% reject it (23% are hesitant), versus 63% of Fox viewers who accept the vaccine, and 18% each who reject it and are hesitant.
Believers in the QAnon conspiracy—that “the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation”—were significantly more likely to oppose the vaccine than those who doubt or reject QAnon: 37% of QAnon believers reject the Covid-19 vaccine (45% accept it), versus 15% of those who doubt QAnon and 5% of those who reject the conspiracy.
Big Number
71%. That’s the total percentage of poll respondents in the PRRI survey who said they’re either vaccinated or will get the shot as soon as possible, up from 58% in March. A further 15% are hesitant about the shot and say they’ll “wait and see how [it’s] working for others” or only get it if they have to (10% and 5%, respectively), while 13% of all respondents refuse to get vaccinated entirely.
Tangent
The poll found Republicans were one of the biggest demographic groups overall to refuse or be hesitant about the vaccine, along with Americans under 50 and rural Americans. Women are also statistically slightly more likely to be opposed to the vaccine than men, the poll found. Across religious groups, the PRRI survey found most religious groups are largely in favor of the Covid-19 vaccine—with large increases recorded since the poll was last conducted in March—and the only religious groups that registered less than 60% support for the vaccine are white evangelical Protestants and Hispanic Protestants (both at 56% acceptance). Jewish Americans, by contrast, are the most in favor of the vaccine, with 85% saying they’ve been vaccinated or would get inoculated as soon as possible.
Contra
Though the PRRI showed a large increase in Republicans’ support for the vaccine—their vaccine acceptance increased by 18 percentage points between March and June, more than among Democrats or Independents—other polling has not shown similar progress. A recent Morning Consult poll found the percentage of Republicans who said they’re unwilling to get vaccinated is still unchanged from mid-March, with 28% both then and now refusing the vaccine.
Key Background
The high rates of vaccine hesitancy among Republicans has become a greater issue in recent weeks as the highly transmissible Delta variant has fueled new Covid-19 outbreaks across the country, as polling has consistently showed Republicans are the most likely demographic to refuse the shot and right-leaning states largely have lower vaccination rates. A growing number of high-level Republicans have made more vocal endorsements of the shots in recent days as a result: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said “it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks” for the state’s Covid-19 surge and Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Steve Doocey encouraged viewers to get vaccinated, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the shots are “saving lives” as his state records one in five of all Covid-19 cases nationwide. Other Republicans, including far-right lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), have continued to be opposed to the shots.
What To Watch For
The PRRI survey suggested religion could play a role in encouraging more Americans who are opposed to or hesitant about the shot to get vaccinated. The poll found 19% of vaccine refusers think faith-based approaches would help encourage them to get vaccinated—such as appeals from trusted faith leaders or communities, or making vaccines available at places of worship—as well as 32% of white evangelical Protestants who regularly attend church services and are hesitant about the vaccine. The recent rash of entreaties from Republican leaders encouraging the vaccines, which largely took place after the PRRI poll was conducted, could also have an effect. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found vaccine endorsements from Republican Party “elites”—in this case, former President Donald Trump—made unvaccinated Republicans 5.7% more likely to signal their intention to get vaccinated than if they hadn’t seen any endorsements, or 7% more likely to signal their vaccination intentions than if they saw an endorsement from President Joe Biden.
Further Reading
Here Are The Biggest Groups That Are Still Refusing The Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds (Forbes)
Here Are The Groups That Still Won’t Get The Covid Vaccine—And Why (Forbes)
Despite Praise For Hannity And Doocy, Fox News Still Offers Muddled Views On Vaccines (Forbes)
Over 1 In 4 Republicans Unwilling To Take Vaccines As GOP Ramps Up Advocacy, Poll Shows (Forbes)
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