New data from a recently conducted survey found that a majority of Democrats want restrictive measures to be implemented on fellow American citizens who continue to refuse getting vaccinated against COVID. The survey found that 59% said they want unvaccinated individuals to be sent into confinement and isolation, while 45% believed that quarantine camps for unvaccinated people should be established.
A recent national telephone and online survey from the Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports showed that 48% of voters said that they are in favor of President Joe Biden's plan to impose COVID vaccine mandate on employees of large companies and government agencies. When asked if they favored such a mandate, 33% of respondents said they strongly favor the mandate, while 48% said they are opposed to the mandate, which included 40% who said they strongly oppose the vaccine mandate.
Similarly, voters are divided in their views on controversial White House chief medical advisor and infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. Results of the survey showed that 45% viewed Dr. Fauci favorably, including 28% who had a very favorable impression of him. Meanwhile, 48% have an unfavorable impression of the NIAID director, including 34% who have a very unfavorable view of him.
When it comes to political affiliations, the survey found that 78% of Democratic voters support President Biden's COVID vaccine mandate plan versus only 22% of Republicans. 41% of voters who are unaffiliated with either party said they supported the COVID vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, many Democrats "support even harsher measures, including fines for Americans who won't get the COVID-19 vaccine and criminal punishment for vaccine critics."
According to the National Pulse, the survey also revealed how 58% of voters oppose a proposal for federal or state governments to establish fines for Americans who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID. Along party lines, 55% of Democrats would support a proposal compared to 19% of Republicans and 25% of unaffiliated voters.
Meanwhile, up to 59% of Democrats are in favor of a government policy that would mandate unvaccinated people to remain in their homes at all times except for emergencies. The proposal is opposed by 61% of all likely voters, including a majority of Republicans or 79% and 71% of unaffiliated voters.
More concerningly, almost half or 48% of Democrats believe that federal and state governments should have the power to fine or imprison Americans who publicly question the efficacy of COVID vaccines on social media, TV, radio, online, or digital publications. Of all voters, 27%, including 14% of Republicans and 18% of unaffiliated voters said they favored criminal punishment for COVID vaccine critics.
Almost half or 45% of Democrats believe that the government should require citizens to temporarily live in designated facilities if they continue to refuse getting vaccinated against COVID. Most or 71% of all voters opposed this idea, with 78% of Republicans and 64% of unaffiliated voters saying they "strongly oppose" placing unvaccinated people in "designated facilities."
When it comes to surveillance, 66% of likely voters do not agree that governments should use digital devices to track unvaccinated people to ensure that they remain in quarantine or are practicing social distancing measures. Almost half or 47% of Democrats said they are in favor of a government tracking program for unvaccinated individuals.
The survey was conducted on 1,016 U.S. likely voters on January 5 and was commissioned by the Heartland Institute. The institute's senior editor and research fellow Chris Talgo remarked, "After two excruciatingly long years, likely voters are beginning to question the federal government's handling of the pandemic...almost half of likely voters oppose President Biden's vaccine mandates, which seem less about stopping the spread of COVID-19 and more about increasing the power of the federal government."
