A new poll from Rasmussen reveals that around 41% of Americans think that vaccine passports are a “bad idea,” rejecting the Biden administration’s plans.
The poll, conducted at the end of March, asked 1000 likely voters if “requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to return to pre-pandemic activities [is] a good idea or a bad idea,” to which 41% of voters responded that it was not, with 44% of all Americans believing that it was a good idea. 15% of those responded said they didn’t know one way or the other. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Those willing to accept vaccine passports shot up to 62% of those polled who had taken a coronavirus vaccine. Rejection of the scheme was higher among ethnic minorities, with around 50% of black respondents and 42% of other non-white respondents being against vaccine passports.
"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— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) April 1, 2021
As National File reported, the Biden administration is currently developing a plan for the vaccine passports, which Americans may need to present to prove they have received their vaccine “before they will be allowed to engage in commerce in a ‘return to normalcy’ that looks nothing like the past”:
Biden is planning a vaccine passport program led almost entirely by the private sector. In short, the government and doctors will give private health information to a private company, acting as a third party, who will then allow this information to be shared via an app or printed out slip of paper.
However, it is unclear whether the Biden administration would even be able to roll out such a scheme nationwide, given massive resistance from politicians at the state level.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order against the scheme on Saturday, which declares that “no Florida government entity, or its subdivisions, agents, or assigns, shall be permitted to issue vaccine passports, vaccine passes, or other standardized documentation for the purpose of certifying an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party.” South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem also spoke out against the scheme, but has pursued no executive action so far.