A majority of Democrats believe schools should require children to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks, according to Rasmussen Reports.
The latest Rasmussen poll found that 58% of Democrats say schools still should require children to wear masks to protect against coronavirus, and 56% believe children should be required to be vaccinated.
In contrast, most Republicans and independents don’t think children should be required to get inoculated or wear masks in school.
Majorities of Republicans (61%) and the unaffiliated (52%), as well as 25% of Democrats, oppose schools requiring children to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Only 29% of Republicans and 30% of respondents unaffiliated with either major party say schools should insist children get the COVID-19 vaccine.
As for children being required to wear masks, only 27% of Republicans and 32% of the unaffiliated agree.
Overall, 39% of American adults believe schools should require children get vaccinated against COVID-19. The poll also found that 45% oppose mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for school children, and 16% are not sure.
A similar percentage (39%) think schools should require children to wear masks to protect against the virus. A total of 42% are against schools requiring masks, and 19% are not sure.
There is a strong correlation between opinions on mandatory masks and mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for school children.
Among respondents who think schools should require children to wear masks, 68% also think schools should require children to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Among those who oppose schools requiring children to wear masks, 79% are also against schools requiring children to get the vaccinated.
Distrust of public health officials could be a major factor in people refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly one-third of Americans believe officials are lying about vaccine safety — a number that rises to almost two-thirds among people who don’t intend to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
Men (45%) are much more likely than women (33%) to say schools should require children to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Slightly more women, however, favor schools requiring children to wear masks.
Whites are slightly more in favor of schools requiring children to get the vaccine than Blacks or other minorities. As for schools requiring children to wear masks, Blacks are more supportive than whites or other minorities.
In a breakdown of age groups, the country basically is split between people saying schools should require children to get vaccinated, and those who disagree or are not sure.
A total of 50% of people under 40, and 49% of those ages 40-64 say schools should not require children to get vaccinated against COVID. Among 65 and older respondents, 51% believe schools should require children to get vaccinations.
In terms of incomes, 48% of respondents earning $200,000 a year or more favor mandatory vaccination, compared to just 36% among those earning less than $30,000 a year.
The poll found that people under 40 were somewhat more favorable than their elders to mandatory mask wearing in schools.
The survey of 1,000 U.S. American adults was conducted on July 13-14, 2021 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is plus/minus 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
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