Do the unvaccinated need public shaming to encourage them to get a vaccine? According to a recent poll, most Americans don't believe this is the correct approach.
Conducted by the Trafalgar Group, the poll was in partnership with the Convention of States Action, surveying 1,085 likely voters.
The poll finds that a sizable majority of Americans did not agree with public figures who shame those who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine and did not believe that this shaming is an effective way to increase vaccination rates. The poll showed 59.8% disapproved of "vaccine shaming" and only 23.7% approved.
"Those who choose not to get vaccinated are making a poor health decision at their own individual risk," Dr. Marty Makary said in a U.S. News opinion piece. "Let's encourage vaccination rather than activate the personal liberty culture wars that result in people becoming more entrenched in their opposition."
While the poll results varied quite a bit based on party affiliation, at least a plurality of each group disapproved of vaccine shaming. This includes 77.7% of Republicans and 40.5% of Democrats (only 36% of Democrats approved of the shaming). 61.4% of third party and independent respondents also disapproved.
Hawaii reports that 61.6% of Hawaii residents are fully vaccinated.
"While vaccine requirements for health care workers make sense, we would never extend those requirements outside of health care for, say, the flu shot," Makary said in U.S. News. "We'd simply state to the public: Those who avoid the flu shot do so at their own risk."
Convention of States Action (COSA) is a grassroots political organization with more than 5 million supporters across the United States. The organization's primary focus is on calling an Article V convention of the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The group only promotes amendments that would impose limitations on the size and scope of the federal government.
The Trafalgar Group is a public polling and market research firm. Its website states that Real Clear Politics called it the 'most accurate pollster of the cycle among those firms that polled multiple Senate and governor races” [last] year.
Trafalgar, however, wrongly projected that former President Donald Trump would win re-election in 2020.