Most Americans Support Vaccine and Mask Mandates, Fox News Poll Finds

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Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.According to a new Fox News poll, 54 percent of people favor proof of vaccination in indoor spaces like restaurants and gyms—a 4 percent increase from last month. An even greater majority of respondents, 66 percent, said they favor businesses requiring masks for customers and employees.
The poll, which included interviews with more than 1,000 registered voters conducted between September 12 and 15, is good news for Joe Biden, who earlier this month directed companies with more than 100 employees to require proof of vaccination or regular testing. According to the poll, 56 percent of voters supported the move.

The results echo recent findings by other polling outlets including The Economist/YouGov and Gallup, which have indicated that Americans broadly back Biden’s mask and vaccine policies.
While support for mask and vaccine mandates increased since last month, there’s a clear breakdown along party lines: According to Fox News, about nine out of 10 Democrats support mask mandates in schools and businesses, while just over half of Republicans oppose them. Half of Republicans said they thought the vaccine is safe and effective, while eight of 10 Democrats said they thought so.
Still, 74 percent of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the pandemic—including more than 60 percent of Republicans—the poll found, an increase from last month’s 69 percent. The shift, according to Fox News, came mostly from Republicans and men, more of whom reported they were concerned (14 and 8 percent, respectively) relative to last month’s polling.