Most Americans Now Want Vaccination Warrants For Airplanes, Hotels And Restaurants, By Gallup

NOTAt the start of two years after the start of a pandemic that shows no end in sight, a majority of Americans now support vaccination mandates for travelers. Most Americans now believe that people should be required to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination before boarding a plane, staying in a hotel, dining in a restaurant and attending big events, according to the latest Gallup poll.

In the four months between April and August, as the Delta variant swept across the United States, support for travel-related vaccine mandates increased significantly.

More than six in 10 Americans (61%) now support the requirement for full proof of vaccination before boarding a plane - up from 57% in April 2021.

Support for vaccination mandates for hotel guests reached majority status in August, from 44% in April to 53% in August.

The biggest change in attitude about immunization mandates is eating out. Between April and August, there was a huge 13% jump in favor of being required to show proof of vaccination before dining at a restaurant. Today, 53% of Americans support such a demand, up from 40% four months ago.

Nearly six in 10 Americans (58%) now support a vaccination mandate to attend big events like concerts and festivals - up from 55% in April.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Americans who have already been vaccinated tend to favor vaccination warrants over travel, while the unvaccinated oppose them. Nearly eight in 10 Americans (79%) support the requirement to show proof of their immunization status to travel by plane, compared with just 22% of those who are not vaccinated.

Political party affiliation is also strongly linked to opinions about vaccine needs. A qualified majority (92%) of Democrats support a vaccination mandate to steal, compared with just 29% of Republicans. The independents are divided in two, 50% are in favor and 50% oppose such a requirement for air transport.

Of course, majority support for immunization mandates does not necessarily translate into adoption by the travel industry. Airlines do not require passengers to show proof of vaccination - or get tested, for that matter - before flying to the United States. And very few, if any, hotels in the United States require guests to show proof of their vaccination status upon check-in.

Vaccination mandates for restaurant meals carry more weight as “no vax, no service” policies appear in a growing number of restaurants from coast to coast.

In a polarized country, the popularity of such measures can be in the eye of the beholder. One in three Americans say they would be less likely to dine at a restaurant if they had to prove they were vaccinated, according to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association. But another third say a vaccination warrant would have the opposite effect - and actually make them more likely to dine at a restaurant.