With the delta variant pushing the number of Covid infections and hospitalizations back up in many parts of the country—and complicating the efforts of companies and associations to get back to hosting in-person events—the research firm Gallup conducted a random survey of more than 10,000 Americans to see whether or not vaccine mandates are supported in various situations.
First, for events with large crowds, 58 percent of all respondents said they favor showing proof of vaccination in order to attend, up from 54 percent who said the same in May. Among vaccinated people, 76 percent approved of the measure; among unvaccinated people, 22 percent approved of the measure.
For staying in a hotel, 53 percent of all respondents said they approve of showing vaccination proof, up from 48 percent who said the same in May. Among vaccinated people, 69 percent said so in August, while 20 percent of unvaccinated people favored the measure.
As for dining in a restaurant, 53 percent favor showing vaccination proof, up from 44 percent in May. Among vaccinated people, 68 percent favor this, while 21 percent of unvaccinated people favor this.
Lastly, 56 percent of all respondents approve of showing vaccine proof to go to the office or work site. Gallup did not ask question in its May survey. Among vaccinated people, 72 percent favor this, as do 22 percent of unvaccinated people.
As of September 7, 62 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a vaccine—Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson—while 53 percent are fully vaccinated. Pfizer’s vaccine has full FDA approval; the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are still being administered under emergency-use authorizations.
While only a handful of boutique hotels around the country have instituted vaccine mandates for both their employees and for guests, Highgate Hotels in Hawaii recently became the first management company to institute such a mandate across its entire portfolio. This mandate comes as Hawaii’s hospitals have approached full capacity and started bringing in traveling doctors and nurses to augment their medical staff.
One other development planners and executive stakeholders could consider when deciding whether to require proof of vaccination for their events: President Joseph Biden signed an executive order in early September requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated to perform their jobs, eliminating the frequent-testing option for those who would prefer to remain unvaccinated.
