Poll: Almost Half of Republicans Say They'll Never Get Covid-19 Vaccine

Almost half of all Republicans said they would never get the Covid-19 vaccine in the latest poll from the Monmouth University Polling Institute, far more than the portion Democrats or independents who said the same.

“The number of people who have been skittish about the vaccine has dropped as more Americans line up for the shot, but the hard core group who want to avoid it at all costs has barely budged. The recent news about J&J vaccines is probably not going to help that situation. On the other hand, it might not make it all that much worse since much of this reluctance is really ingrained in partisan identity,” said Patrick Murray, the independent institute’s director.

Monmouth asked respondents whether they would refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccine:

43% of Republicans.
5% of Democrats.
22% of independents.
25% of those under the age of 65.
11% of those over the age of 65.
22% of white people.
20% of non-white people.

The poll found that about half of the adult population has already received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and about 65% said they would get the vaccine as soon as they’re able.

67% of Democrats are vaccinated.
36% of Republicans are vaccinated.
47% of independents are vaccinated.
54% of white Americans are vaccinated.
45% of non-white Americans are vaccinated.

The survey follows the Biden White House’s efforts to reach out to conservatives to urge them to get the vaccine, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the administration has contacted NASCAR, the Christian Broadcasting Network, and various sports leagues.

''It’s critically important to us that we, as an industry, continue to play a meaningful role in the fight against COVID, including offering our venues to help administer vaccines across the country as quickly as possible,'' said NASCAR President Steve Phelps.

John Bridgeland, the co-founder and CEO of the Covid Collaborative, added, “We have a national vaccination campaign. But how do you influence the individual choices and freedom associated with 300 million Americans, where you need 75% to 80% of them to make a choice to get us to herd immunity?”

Monmouth also found that “Goodwill for the president remains high, particularly for his response to the pandemic,” according to Murray, with President Joe Biden showing 62% approval on the Covid-19 pandemic, with just 31% saying he’s done a bad job handling the situation.

The poll surveyed 800 adults across the U.S. by phone from April 8 to 12, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.