Key Themes From Our SurveyThe proportion of survey respondents who are undecided or against getting the COVID-19 vaccine hasn’t changed meaningfully in four months.Nationwide workplace vaccine mandates are helping move the needle.Differing opinions on safety and precautions have left a rift in the trust between employees, employers, and coworkers.

Key Themes From Our Survey

The proportion of survey respondents who are undecided or against getting the COVID-19 vaccine hasn’t changed meaningfully in four months.Nationwide workplace vaccine mandates are helping move the needle.Differing opinions on safety and precautions have left a rift in the trust between employees, employers, and coworkers.

As the U.S. heads into peak respiratory infection season, COVID vaccinations are still stalling nationwide. Only 66% of the population age 12 and over have been fully vaccinated.

Vaccination sentiment hasn’t budged in Verywell Health’s latest vaccine sentiment survey. One in five (23%) of our respondents remain undecided or against getting the COVID-19 vaccine, a proportion that hasn’t changed meaningfully in four months.

But workplace vaccine mandates may help in moving the needle slightly.

The data presented in this article is from seventeen surveys of 2,000 Americans asked about their thoughts and feelings towards getting the COVID-19 vaccines. We collected the latest data for the week ending on September 24. Our survey sample highlighted four types of respondents based on their answer to whether or not they’d get an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine if it were free and available:Acceptors: Those who wouldagreeto be vaccinated but have not yetRejectors: Those whowould not agreeto take a vaccineUndecideds: Those whodon’t knowif they would take a vaccineVaccinated: Those whohave receiveda COVID-19 vaccination

The data presented in this article is from seventeen surveys of 2,000 Americans asked about their thoughts and feelings towards getting the COVID-19 vaccines. We collected the latest data for the week ending on September 24. Our survey sample highlighted four types of respondents based on their answer to whether or not they’d get an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine if it were free and available:

Vaccine Mandates Hit the Workforce

Vaccine mandates seem to have helped individual workplaces increase the percent of their workforces that are vaccinated without the mass exodus many feared.

Of our respondents working in-person at least part-time, 62% estimate that half or more of their colleagues have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Forty-three percent say they work closely with someone who they believe is unvaccinated, and 39% say they are concerned about working alongside others who have not gotten the vaccine.

The announcement gave federal workers and employees of federal contractors 75 days to get vaccinated—until the end of November. For private businesses, though,OSHA is still writing the rulesfor vaccine-or-test mandates. They may not come for several more weeks, then there could be a lengthy period before they’re actually enacted.

Some states have already enacted vaccine mandates for hospital employees that have gone into effect. And they’re working.

Hospitals inNew York and California enacted vaccine mandatesstarting at the beginning of October. In California, many of the state’s largest systems have managed to get their vaccination rates up to 90%. Still, a few workers who refuse the vaccine will need to get regularly tested or face termination.

When faced with losing their jobs, even the vaccine-hesitant are getting their shots. The great workplace exodus in the face of mandates has mostly failed to materialize.

Workers Want More COVID Protections

But others seem to be ready to change their working situation for other reasons—mostly a lack of trust in the face of indecisive or inadequate COVID protections.

Twenty-eight percent of those working in our survey say they have little to no trust in their employer to put in the proper precautions for a safe work environment. Forty-five percent feel they have little to no say in their employer’s COVID strategy.

More than half of the people in our survey who are working in person say they have considered making changes to their working situation because of your employer’s response to COVID-19.

But very few people (9%) say they are actuallywillingto leave their jobs.

The most popular request was a call formoreprotections, with 29% of respondents wanting their employers to provide more adequate personal protective equipment, testing, and vaccinations. Providing options to work from home was also high on the employee request list, with 19% saying they’ve thought about asking to work from home.

These feelings are playing out in real-time. Last week, workers at theKellogg companywent on strike at several factories after failed union negotiations and two years of working in strenuous COVID conditions.Restaurant workers are also fightingback after over a year spent serving unruly, unmasked, or unvaccinated customers. Many are walking out to protest conditions.

MethodologyThe Verywell Vaccine Sentiment Tracker is a biweekly measurement of Americans’ attitudes and behaviors around COVID-19 and the vaccine. The survey is fielded online every other week. The total sample matches U.S. Census estimates for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and region. It consists of 1,000 Americans from December 16, 2020, until February 26, 2020, after which the sample size increased to 2,000 per wave.

Methodology

The Verywell Vaccine Sentiment Tracker is a biweekly measurement of Americans’ attitudes and behaviors around COVID-19 and the vaccine. The survey is fielded online every other week. The total sample matches U.S. Census estimates for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and region. It consists of 1,000 Americans from December 16, 2020, until February 26, 2020, after which the sample size increased to 2,000 per wave.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID Data Tracker.

1 Source

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID Data Tracker.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID Data Tracker.

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?