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Poll shows strong support for workplace vax mandates

Three-quarters of Mass. workers support vaccine requirements

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AS THE DELTA variant spurs an increase in cases and renewed calls for masking indoors, new poll numbers show Massachusetts employees broadly support their vaccine requirements for their own workplaces. The data was collected for this week’s Mass Reboot episode entitled Work. 

Overall, 75 percent of employed residents at least somewhat support their own employer “requiring every employee who works in person to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” while just 21 percent opposed the requirement. Nearly half (48 percent) strongly support the requirement. 

There was majority support for requirements across all demographic groups, including among groups who have been slower to get the vaccine. Two-thirds of self-identified Republicans support the requirement, including 42 percent who strongly support it. 

Strong support alone reached a majority among Democrats (59 percent), those with a bachelor’s degree or higher (57 percent), those with household incomes over $75,000 a year (52 percent), and those living inside Route 128 (60 percent). 

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Richard Parr

Research director, MassINC Polling Group
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The Delta variant may be scrambling plans to return to the office now, but Bay State support for vaccine requirements goes back months now. A survey from late May found support for vaccine requirements for state employees (72 percent), first respondents (74 percent), public school teachers and staff (75 percent), travelers from out of state (72 percent), and on-campus students at public universities (75 percent).  

About the poll: these results are based on the state survey of 1,453 Massachusetts residents conducted via online interviewing from June 30 to July 16, 2021. Final survey data were weighted to known and estimated population parameters for adults (18+) in Massachusetts by age, gender, race, education, geography, and party identification. This question was sponsored by The MassINC Polling Group for Mass Reboot.