As the White House works with tech corporations to develop a flurry of coronavirus vaccine passport apps, almost half of US voters believe the scheme is the right way “back to normal”, according to a recent poll.
Some 44% of likely voters said that requiring proof of vaccination to return to their daily lives is a “good idea,” though another large segment, 41%, were outright opposed to it, a Rasmussen survey published on Thursday shows, noting that 15% remain on the fence.
Polling 1,000 voters earlier this week, the survey also found that opinions on the passes correlated with party affiliation, with 57% of Democrats voicing support for the idea compared to just 33% in the GOP. For those outside the two major parties, 45% said they are a “bad idea,” while 26% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans expressed the same view.
Overall, half of the black voters polled said the passes are not a good solution, joined by 40% of white voters.
"Is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to return to pre-pandemic activities a good idea or a bad idea?"
1000 National Likely Voters - A Bad Idea White- 40% Black - 50% Other Non-White - 42% All Voters - 41% https://t.co/3InQfIfCNI
Though a plurality of respondents approved of the idea in concept, some netizens reacted to the numbers in horror, shocked by the level of support for what critics have condemned as a highly invasive and unnecessary measure, especially given warnings from health experts that those who receive the jab may still be able to spread the virus.
“So 44% of America has bought into tyrannical fascism. Got it,”said one detractor.
44% is way too high for my liking. The idea of American individualism is eroding far too fast.
— John, of the Deplorable Dregs (@johneb18) April 1, 2021
The new data comes after the Biden administration acknowledged this week that it is working alongside the private sector to develop a variety of vaccine passport apps – at least 17 are currently in the works in the US, according to the Washington Post.
While White House press secretary Jen Psaki stressed that the government would not create a “centralized universal federal vaccination database” and said it is merely offering “recommendations” for the passes, a report in the Post last week suggested the administration is taking a larger role than Psaki let on. The CDC, for example, says it expects to help decide which organizations will be allowed to issue the passes, potentially giving a federal agency significant control over the program.
New York has already embarked on its own vaccine passport initiative, the ‘Excelsior Pass,’ while officials in Hawaii are considering a similar project. But in line with the survey data on Republican voters, leaders in the GOP have also voiced growing opposition to the passes, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis imposing a statewide ban on Friday. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia), meanwhile, dubbed the passes “Biden’s Mark of the Beast” – a reference to the Book of Revelation.
The idea has also taken root internationally, with South Korea among the latest to roll out a smartphone app for citizens to prove they’ve been vaccinated, following similar moves in Denmark, Japan, China and Israel.
