STILL DIVIDED
Pennsylvanians remain at odds over mandatory vaccinations, school masking
Twenty-one months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Pennsylvanians remain divided over attempts to halt its spread, such as mandatory work vaccinations and school masking, and a core group of adults remains steadfast in rejecting a vaccine, offering various reasons.
Those are among the findings of a Morning Call/Muhlenberg College Poll that finds statewide concern about the deadly virus falling as the number of residents being vaccinated increases. That trend could reverse as more is learned about the new omicron variant.
For now, 26% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and up say they are “not concerned at all” about the pandemic, a view out of step with most of their statewide neighbors and medical experts. Three-quarters of poll respondents expressed concern about the virus, including 41% who still find it “extremely” or “very” worrisome.
One-third of respondents said recent “worry or stress” related to the pandemic was negatively affecting their mental health.
The number of Pennsylvania adults receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine jab has more than doubled since a similar Muhlenberg poll in March, accounting perhaps for some of the relaxed concern. Indeed, 57% of respondents in March were very or somewhat concerned about the pandemic, and nearly two-thirds now think the “worst” of the pandemic is behind us.
For the new poll, Muhlenberg College
Institute of Public Opinion conducted telephone interviews with 419 Pennsylvania adults Nov. 15-22 — a period before discovery of the omicron variant. The survey’s margin of error is plus/minus 5.5%.
Disagreements over vaccines
Deep into the pandemic, sharp and sometimes bitter statewide disputes continue over attempts to handle COVID-19. They vary in intensity by topic, which include mandatory vaccinations to keep a job, mandatory masking to stay in school and whether the shots credited with saving lives worldwide are safe.
The poll finds Pennsylvania adults evenly divided on employers’ requiring workers to get a COVID-19 immunization, with 50% indicating employers should not, and 49% saying employers should. The split softens a bit on whether public schools should require students to wear masks — 60% of those polled say they should.
The deepest and most significant gulf from a public safety standpoint centers on COVID19 vaccines.
Fifty-nine percent say individuals who have not received a COVID-19 vaccination have put others at risk and have prolonged the length of the pandemic, including 40% who strongly agree with that belief. Thirty-nine percent disagree 27% of them strongly so.
Other differences over vaccines starkly align with just two demographic categories: education and political party. Republicans without a college degree are most likely not to be vaccinated. Democrats with a college degree are most likely to be vaccinated.
“Risks are viewed very differently along education and partisan divides,” said Chris Borick, a Muhlenberg College political science professor and director of the school’s Institute of Public Opinion, who conducted the poll and finds the schism striking. “Other differences pale in comparison in terms of impact on views of vaccines.”
Six in 10 Republicans polled said COVID-19 vaccines pose “major health risks” for those getting one. Eighty percent of Democrats disagree with that claim, 55% strongly so. Again, education is also a factor. More than half of respondents with college degrees strongly dismiss the claim, while 23% of those without a degree strongly support it.
Nationwide, COVID-related deaths and severe illness, often requiring hospitalized intensive care, are centered on individuals who have not taken advantage of the free vaccinations. So far, more than 778,000 Americans have died from COVID19, a figure that includes nearly 33,500 Pennsylvanians.
Disinformation persists
Seventy-four percent of poll respondents said they had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, double the number in a spring 2021 Muhlenberg poll. Three-quarters of those who got at least one shot said they planned on getting a booster, but 13% said they would not, and 11% were unsure.
The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 58% of Pennsylvania’s population have been fully vaccinated, and 82% have gotten at least one shot. Nearly 3.5 million state residents need a follow-up shot, the CDC says.
Among the 26% of poll respondents who said they had not gotten a COVID-19 vaccine, half cited “personal liberties and choice” as their reason for opting out, and a third cited “concerns with negative health effects of the vaccination.” Just 2% cited “religious beliefs,” a valid reason for not being vaccinated under some mandatory orders.
More broadly, 22% of all the poll respondents expressed doubt about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing serious illness. Such views persist despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and perhaps in part because of ongoing disinformation campaigns.
Three-quarters of those polled do believe in the vaccines’ effectiveness, with 45% deeming them “very effective” in avoiding illness from COVID-19 or mitigating its impact. Worldwide medical experience with combatting the virus and studies back up that belief.
Among those polled, a composite nonwhite woman
over 65 with a college degree and registered as a Democrat was most likely to be vaccinated. A composite white man over 65 without a college degree and registered as a Republican was least likely to be vaccinated.
Perceived risks of daily activities
When out in public, a strong majority of Pennsylvania adults wear masks. Half those answering the poll wear masks all or most of the time, while 29% wear them occasionally. One in 5 (21%) respondents said they “never” wear masks in public spaces.
In descending order, Pennsylvania adults believe they face the greatest risks while flying or using mass transit (66%), shopping at stores (47%), and dining at a restaurant or working with others in an office (44% each). Respondents see gatherings of friends and family outside the house a bit less risky (41%). Indeed, only 33% planned to restrict Thanksgiving this year to “immediate family.”
Pennsylvania’s views on President Joe Biden’s handling of the pandemic have shifted considerably since Muhlenberg’s spring poll. Forty percent of poll respondents approve of Biden’s efforts today; 55% approved of them in the spring. Biden’s statewide disapproval rating on the issue now stands at 45%, up from 28% previously.
Biden campaigned for president in part on a pledge to better deal with the pandemic, and his early scores on that effort were good. But the emergence of the delta variant in July fueled a spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths that helped weaken his public support to politically dangerous lows.
“Biden has taken a stark downward slide ... on an issue that helped propel him to the White House in one of the most political states in the country,” Borick said. “If he doesn’t see a rebound on this issue in [Pennsylvania] ... he’s not on solid ground.”
In October, pollsters at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster asked Pennsylvania adults what had changed their minds about Biden in recent months. COVID-related issues ranked third (at 14%) behind the president’s handling of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (31%), and immigration flareups along the U.S./Mexico border (15%).
The White House this week announced mandatory COVID-19 tests for travelers flying into the U.S. as virologists race to understand the omicron variant, which the World Health Organization has labeled a “variant of concern.”
Support for Gov. Tom Wolf ’s handling of the state’s pandemic response has fallen a bit since spring, from 40% then to 35% now.