As the coronavirus pandemic winds down from a tumultuous and difficult year, new polls are showing extremely heightened distrust, amplified by the regulations put in place by the federal government during the pandemic, in government officials, mandates and public health employees.
This is especially true when it comes to the coronavirus vaccine and decisions having to do with schooling for children.
In a study conducted by the Trafalgar Group, a reputable national polling agency, in conjunction with Convention of States Action, 1,033 respondents were surveyed. The survey collected data on parents’ feelings when it comes to the vaccine and who should be making the decision as to whether children will receive the vaccine. In the survey, an overwhelming majority of respondents said that they felt that parents must make the decision as to whether vaccination should be required for children to attend school in-person. Sixty-four percent of participants voiced this opinion.
Another 16% of participants said that state and local officials should make the decision about whether vaccination should be required and 15% of people said that the decision should be left to the federal government.
It seems that many parents are hesitant about handing control over to health officials following the pandemic, partly due to the now-blemished reputation of the nation’s leading doctor and go-to source for information regarding the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
A statement released by Mark Meckler, the president of Convention of States action, said: “Voters are watching the unravelling of Dr. Anthony Fauci, most notably amidst mounting evidence that COVID-19 was leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China. Further, Fauci’s potential connection to funding research at the lab in question is creating a cloud of doubt over our entire federal health establishment. Thus, when federal, state and even local officials insist that parents must get children vaccinated in order to attend school, Americans—regardless of political party—just aren’t buying what they’re selling.”
An interesting split in the data was observed when it comes to political affiliation. Over 82% of Republican voters in the survey said that parents should have the final say when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine for their children and the requirements of the school. Just 49.7% of Democrat voters said that parents should decide. Meanwhile, 19.2% of Democrats in the survey said that state and local officials decide and 26.8% of Democratic voters in the survey said that the decision should be deferred to the federal government.
