Poll results on why people got vaccinated
This week Curia did a poll for Family First on vaccinations and mandates. As far as I know it is the first poll to ask why people got vaccinated – was it motivated by health reasons, or due to coercive measures if they didn’t get vaccinated.
In terms of why they got vaccinated the findings were:
- Protect personal health, 70% said it was a large or the main factor
- Protect health of others, 76% large/main
- Due to vaccine pass, 36% large/main
- Due to vaccine mandate 31% large/main
The results suggest that only 70% to 75% of those vaccinated did so primarily for health
reasons. Around a third of those vaccinated said vaccine mandate or pass requirements was a
large factor in their decision.
Why this is important is the Government (and repeated by many in the media) keeps saying 94% of adults have been vaccinated, so those against are only 6%. But that is an incorrect way to interpret it. Because a significant minority of that 94% only did so because the state coerced them into it through vaccine mandates. So this is why opposition to vaccine mandates is greater than 6% and many of those opposed are themselves vaccinated.
Another key finding was that people support flexibility with the mandates. 61% think unvaccinated employees should be able to keep their job if they agree to have regular rapid antigen testing as an alternative. This is not a radical right policy, but in fact the policy of Joe Biden. Yet it won’t even be considered here.
Even Labour voters support this flexibility. This measure was supported by 74% of 2020 ACT voters, 70% of National voters and 58% of Labour voters. Only 2020 Green voters were not majority in support, but still a plurality at 42%. So such a change would have broad coass-party appeal.
Another interesting finding is the difference between respondents who were double and triple vaccinated. 80% of those who are triple vaccinated did so reasons of protecting their health. But only 54% of those double vaccinated cited health as a large factor. This suggests that there will be significant hesitancy in getting a booster as boosters are not mandated.