Lawrence General Hospital nurse Delana Asaro pre-draws doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before administering them on Jan. 11, 2021. Photo by Pat Greenhouse | Boston Globe Staff / Pool
Half of American workers are in favor of vaccine requirements at their workplaces, according to a new poll, at a time when such mandates gain traction following the federal government’s full approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 59 percent of remote workers favor vaccine requirements in their own workplaces, compared with 47 percent of those who are currently working in person. About one-quarter of workers — in person and remote — are opposed.
The sentiment is similar for workplace mask mandates, with 50 percent of Americans working in person favoring them and 29 percent opposed, while 59 percent of remote workers are in favor.
About 6 in 10 college graduates, who are more likely to have jobs that can be done remotely, support both mask and vaccine mandates at their workplaces, compared with about 4 in 10 workers without college degrees.
So far, many vaccine requirements are coming from private companies with employees who have mostly been able to work from home during the pandemic. The companies, including major tech companies and investment banks, have workforces that are already largely vaccinated and consider the requirement a key step toward eventually reopening offices. Goldman Sachs joined that trend Tuesday, telling employees in a memo that anyone who enters its U.S. offices must be fully vaccinated starting Sept. 7.
In contrast, few companies that rely on hourly service workers have imposed vaccine mandates because the companies are concerned about losing staff at a time of acute labor shortages and turnover. Exceptions include food processing giant Tyson Foods and Walt Disney World, which reached a deal this week with its unions to require all workers at its theme park in Orlando, Florida, to be vaccinated.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted before the FDA granted full approval of Pfizer’s vaccine, which some experts and employers are hoping will persuade more people to get the shot and support mandates.
The poll showed high support for vaccine mandates among those who say they work in person in a health care setting, with 70 percent approving of vaccine requirements at their workplace.
The poll also showed divisions along racial lines.
Seventy-three percent of Black workers and 59 percent of Hispanic workers — who are more likely than white workers to work in front-line jobs — support mask mandates at their workplaces, compared with 42 percent of white workers. In addition, 53 percent of Black and Hispanic workers support vaccine mandates at their workplaces, as do 44 percent of white workers.
Despite mixed support for mandates among in-person employees, 71 percent of those workers said they themselves are vaccinated.
Many large retailers, grocery store chains, food manufacturers and other companies have aggressively encouraged vaccinations with bonuses, time off, information campaigns and on-site vaccination access.
