Majority in U.S. Critical of Religious Vaccine Exemptions, Poll Finds

U.S.|A bulk of Americans are captious of spiritual exemptions to Covid vaccines, a survey finds.

• Dec. 10, 2021, 7:32 a.m. ET

Only astir 1 successful 10 Americans accidental that receiving the Covid-19 vaccine would interruption their spiritual beliefs, portion astir 60 percent accidental that excessively galore radical are utilizing religion arsenic an excuse to debar vaccine mandates, according to a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core.

A bulk of Americans are captious of spiritual exemptions and accidental that the vaccines bash not interruption their ain spiritual beliefs oregon the teachings of their religion, and that determination are nary valid spiritual reasons to garbage the Covid-19 vaccine.

The survey indicates a crisp disagreement betwixt vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans. That spread widens on partisan lines. More than 80 percent of vaccinated Democrats accidental they are aggravated astatine those who garbage to get vaccinated, and akin numbers of unvaccinated Republicans are “angry astatine those who deliberation they person the close to archer maine to get vaccinated against Covid-19.” Less than fractional of vaccinated Republicans and unvaccinated Democrats accidental they are aggravated on specified lines.

About 1 successful 5 Americans accidental that vaccination has caused large struggle wrong their families.

More than 200 cardinal Americans — implicit 60 percent of the colonisation — person been afloat vaccinated against the coronavirus. The United States crossed that milestone connected Wednesday arsenic the menace of the Omicron variant spurred a flurry of jabs successful caller days, though the regular complaint remains acold beneath its highest successful April. And the United States lags importantly down respective different countries, which person inoculated implicit 80 percent of their populations.

The Public Religion Research Institute survey focused connected attitudes toward spiritual exemptions, a contentious taxable amid sweeping vaccine mandates successful American workplaces.

No large religions oregon denominations reason Covid vaccines, and galore spiritual leaders person publically endorsed them. In astir each spiritual radical surveyed, much than fractional of respondents said that determination were nary spiritual reasons to garbage the Covid vaccine. White evangelical Protestants were the lone exception: Just 41 percent agreed.

White evangelical Protestants were besides the lone large spiritual radical among whom a bulk believed that “the authorities is not telling america astir different treatments for Covid-19 that are conscionable arsenic effectual arsenic the vaccine.”

About 3 successful 10 unvaccinated Americans accidental they have already asked oregon program to inquire for an exemption from the vaccine due to the fact that it goes against their spiritual values. Those numbers are higher among unvaccinated achromatic evangelical Protestants and Protestants of color, astir 40 percent of whom accidental they program to oregon already person asked for spiritual exemptions.

But adjacent among those who said the vaccines interruption their knowing of their religion’s teaching, much than 4 successful 10 person already been vaccinated oregon mean to get a changeable arsenic soon arsenic possible, said Robert P. Jones, main enforcement serviceman and laminitis of the Public Religion Research Institute.

“There’s not a one-to-one correlation,” Mr. Jones said. “That’s the mode radical unrecorded their lives: It’s messy, and determination are different calculations.”

The survey of much than 5,000 Americans was conducted successful October and November.