Fox News conducted the poll from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10, 2021, involving more than 1,000 randomly selected respondents from across the country. It asked the respondents whether protecting freedom or safety was more important. Freedom meant Americans can choose whether to get vaccinated or not, while safety meant the vaccination and vaccine passports would be required to participate in society.
Fifty percent of respondents said public safety was more important than the freedom to choose – only 47 percent said freedom to choose was of tantamount importance.
The difference was clearer along political lines, with 80 percent of Democratic respondents choosing safety and 73 percent of Republican respondents choosing freedom. Independent-leaning respondents expressed a more divided view with 49 percent choosing freedom and 45 percent choosing safety.
The Fox News poll also found that most Americans supported requiring proof of COVID-19 inoculation. Fifty percent of respondents also favored vaccine passports for indoor activities such as going to restaurants and gyms and attending live performances. Furthermore, 44 percent of respondents said they were more likely to visit stores and establishments mandating that customers and workers be vaccinated or show a negative COVID-19 test.
The poll's results reflected that of an earlier survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports (RR) back in March 2021. According to the RR poll, 44 percent of respondents said mandating proof of COVID-19 vaccination to return to normal activities is "a good idea." Only 41 percent of respondents expressed disagreement, while 15 percent said they were unsure.
Most Americans also support face coverings
In addition to supporting mandatory vaccinations and vaccine passports, the Fox News poll showed that the majority of Americans were also willing to give up their freedoms when it came to face masks and mask mandates. This is despite the fact that the federal government's guidance for masks had changed numerous times.
Back in May 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said fully vaccinated people no longer need to mask up in both indoor and outdoor settings. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that time: "Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing."
But the CDC walked back on its earlier pronouncement in July 2021 amid the spread of the delta variant. It recommended that fully vaccinated people resume wearing face coverings indoors if they live in areas with significant or high transmission. Walensky said the decision to reverse its initial guidance was not one taken lightly, adding that the delta variant showed its "willingness to outsmart" public health measures every day. (Related: CDC recommendation to bring back mask mandates spurs intense backlash.)
That said, because of this inconsistency, 46 percent of the Fox News poll respondents said politics guided the federal government's stance on masks. On the other hand, 42 percent of respondents believed that new information about the virus played a big role in the government's stance on masks.
The clear divide was also visible along party lines: the majority of Democratic respondents – 67 percent – believed that it was new information, not politics, that steered government guidance on masks. In comparison, 69 percent of Republican respondents thought that the guidance was influenced by politics.
Overall, the poll results seem to indicate that more Americans are willingly giving up their freedom in the face of fearmongering as the pandemic continues. (Related: "Delta variant" fear mongering ramps up: Tyrants say "get the shot.")
This is despite numerous reports casting doubt on the efficiency of vaccines and face coverings as protection against COVID-19. Already, the Biden administration is planning booster shots for those who've already been vaccinated to cover up their shortcomings. This is despite the WHO calling such shots unnecessary.
Meanwhile, studies have shown that face coverings do more harm than good, especially for young children.
Despite these, Americans are still surrendering their freedoms in exchange for so-called safety from COVID-19.
HealthFreedom.news has more articles about Americans choosing safety at the cost of their liberties.
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