A new poll revealed a common motivator for people in the U.S. to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is that they don’t trust their fellow Americans.
The top factors people cited in the Harris poll for getting a vaccine — at 68% and 51%, respectively — were protecting oneself and protecting others against the coronavirus. However, 39% of people surveyed said that one motivation for them to get vaccinated was that they were concerned that others around them would stop wearing masks, even if they aren’t vaccinated.
the new cdc mask guidance for vaxxed people may be leading holdouts to get vaxxed too — because people aren’t wearing masks anymore https://t.co/s5StPxLhKG pic.twitter.com/S3v31FzWZY
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) May 26, 2021
The survey, totaling 1,075 respondents, was conducted on May 18 and 19 after the CDC updated its guidance on COVID-19 to recommend that vaccinated individuals do not have to wear masks in most settings. The change led many politicians, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, to issue an ultimatum: get vaccinated, or continue to wear a mask. (RELATED: Biden Wears Mask Outside Days After Saying Vaccinated Americans Don’t Need One)
America’s vaccination rate has declined substantially since a peak in mid-April, but the decline seems to have slowed since the CDC’s announcement. Conventional wisdom said that more Americans would get vaccinated so that they could stop wearing masks and social distancing, now that many businesses were dropping mask mandates. However, the Harris poll suggests that a sizeable chunk of people are also getting a jab because they don’t trust their peers to follow the new rules.
