AJC Poll: Georgians across parties support some vaccine mandates
Vaccine policy nearly tore the nation apart during the pandemic. But solid majorities of Georgians, of all parties and age groups, support a mandate for parents to have their children vaccinated against diseases such as polio and measles.
The results come from a poll conducted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from Oct. 15-23, among likely Georgia voters in next year’s primary elections.
The governor’s seat is among those up for election in 2026. The primary will be held in just six months, next May.
The results showed support for vaccine mandates was usually highest among the oldest voters. Among those likely to vote in the Republican primary, 60% said they supported the mandates.
With Democratic primary voters, support for the vaccine mandates remained high across demographic groups — usually above 80%. With one exception: support was just 66% with Gen Zers expecting to vote Democrat.
That’s slightly less than the support for vaccine mandates among Republicans in the same age group. About 70% of Gen Z voters expecting to vote on the Republican ballot said they favored vaccine mandates.
Ashley Kirzinger, director of survey methodology and associate director of the Public Opinion and Survey Research Program at the health research nonprofit KFF, said KFF has been polling nationally about similar attitudes for five years.
She said, in general, their findings have indicated that party identity drives vaccine feelings, not the other way around. And Democrats have long been more likely to get themselves vaccinated even for ailments like shingles, she said.
“I think the entrenched party lines around COVID-19 vaccines are kind of playing out now, and having a longer tail, and having an effect on other vaccines,” she said.
The question in the poll was: “In your opinion, should parents be required to vaccinate their children against common childhood diseases such as measles and polio?”
Ted Stone, 54, is one of the older Republican voters who said yes to that question. He cautions that it isn’t as simple as it sounds.
“I do not support vaccine mandates totally,” Stone said. “The MMR − you know your measles, mumps, rubella − that’s important. The chickenpox one. But everything else?”
AJC Democratic and Republican primary polls
AJC Poll: Georgians across parties support some vaccine mandates
Georgians in both parties prefer property tax relief to scrapping income tax
AJC poll: Georgia Democrats express growing distrust in the election system
AJC poll says Georgia Democrats want a tougher response to Trump
AJC poll: Republican support for Trump remains strong in Georgia
Donald Trump’s endorsement is powerful but limited in Georgia, poll finds
PDF: Poll crosstabs
FAQ: How the AJC polls Georgia voters
Poll archive: View past AJC poll results
He thinks babies get too many shots at once. And he believes that getting the COVID vaccine caused his 82-year-old father’s death from clotting following heart surgery: He says the surgeon told him so.
For Ricky Simmons, vaccine mandates are an obvious yes, including the COVID-19 vaccines.
Simmons, an IT architect in Stockbridge, considers himself an independent, and usually votes on the Democratic ballot. For governor, he’d vote for Geoff Duncan no matter which party Duncan claimed.
And when it comes to vaccine mandates, it’s an obvious yes to Simmons, including for the COVID-19 vaccines.
“I thought that it was necessary,” Simmons said. “Necessary to get the economy back up and rolling. It wasn’t about taking away the freedom. It was about giving me the freedom to enjoy my life. It’s also for my older parents, like my mother-in-law.”
The AJC poll also asked what voters thought of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s performance in office so far. Kennedy has been under fire for issues including chaotic firings. Kennedy has dismissed top leaders and hundreds of workers, some of whom which had to be brought back.
Those planning to vote in the Democratic primary overwhelmingly disapprove of Kennedy’s performance. Those going for the Republican ballot support Kennedy, but less strongly and by a smaller margin — 76% support overall with lots of “somewhat” support.
Stone generally votes for Republicans but did vote for Barack Obama in his first presidential run. “He had swagger. He persuaded me we’re going to do all these wonderful things” like fix health care.
Stone was disappointed, but thinks Kennedy has a good focus.
Like Stone, Ricky Simmons values leaders who accomplish things. But he doesn’t see that happening in the Trump administration under Kennedy.
“I feel like with the CDC, to run off some of the top talent, it kind of puts the red flags to me,” Simmons said. “What happens if there’s another, say, outbreak, or any kind of medical catastrophe? How do we respond?”
About the Author
Ariel Hart is a reporter on health care issues. She works on the AJC’s health team and has reported on subjects including the Voting Rights Act and transportation.
