Most Unvaccinated Americans Don’t Feel Responsible For Surging Covid Cases, Poll Suggests — Here’s Who They Blame
Topline
While the vast majority of vaccinated Americans blame the unvaccinated for rising cases of Covid-19 and the spread of new variants across the U.S., very few unvaccinated people feel they are to blame, according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll published Tuesday, highlighting the obstacles officials face as they try to revive the country’s sluggish vaccination program.
Vaccine status has become a point of contention among Americans, with vaccinated people believing … [+]
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Key Facts
Nearly 80% of vaccinated Americans pin the rise in Covid-19 cases and the spread of new variants in the U.S. on the unvaccinated, according to the poll conducted July 30 – August 2 among 999 U.S. adults.
Vaccinated people also consider Donald Trump (36%), conservative media (33%), foreign travelers in the U.S. (30%) and Americans traveling abroad (25%) to be key contributors to the rise in cases, the poll found.
There is less consensus among unvaccinated people on who to blame and fewer than 10% of people in this group thought unvaccinated people were responsible for rising cases.
A significant number of people who hadn’t been vaccinated blamed foreign travelers in the U.S. (27%), the mainstream media (27%) and Americans traveling internationally (23%).
Far fewer unvaccinated people in this group blamed Donald Trump (11%) and the conservative media (7.5%) than their vaccinated counterparts, while they placed greater blame on President Joe Biden (21%), the CDC (19%) and national public health officials (18%).
Key Background
Vaccinated Americans are swiftly losing patience with their vaccine-hesitant compatriots. With the delta variant driving up cases and hospitalizations across the country and health officials imposing new guidelines and restrictions to contain it, many are now blaming vaccine holdouts for the backslide. The issue is intensely partisan, with Republicans overwhelmingly less likely to accept the vaccine. Initial skepticism promoted and then retracted by conservative media outlets like Fox, the promotion of conspiracy theories by politicians and lukewarm support from former President Trump and his allies—often keen to hype up his involvement in the vaccines’ production than their widespread use (he got his shot unannounced and off camera)—has all been blamed for this bias. Issues accessing vaccines and healthcare, along with associated issues like time off work, are considerable obstacles to boosting vaccination rates and opposition to vaccination—which has hardly shifted in months—propped up by rampant misinformation and conspiracy theories has also hampered vaccination drives. Some employers have started to require vaccines for employees in a bid to boost flagging numbers, though some jurisdictions like Florida have moved to preemptively ban any restrictions being put in place.
Tangent
New CDC guidelines to wear masks in certain places apply for the vaccinated as well as the unvaccinated. While far less likely to get seriously ill, vaccinated people still can and do get infected with Covid-19. The delta variant, being somewhat resistant to some of the vaccines in use, makes this more likely, especially in those not fully vaccinated. Even if asymptomatic, the vaccinated can still pass the virus on to others. The CDC recently found signs vaccinated people may be just as infectious as the unvaccinated.
Further Reading
Delta Variant Surge May Make Unvaccinated Americans Less Likely To Get The Shot, Poll Finds (Forbes)
Here Are The Biggest Groups That Are Still Refusing The Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds (Forbes)
Who Are the Unvaccinated in America? There’s No One Answer. (NYT)
As Virus Cases Rise, Another Contagion Spreads Among the Vaccinated: Anger (NYT)
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*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Forbes can be found here ***
