US Voters Say Public Health Should Outrank Individual Liberty During Pandemic - Poll

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th August, 2021) A 52 percent majority of likely US voters believe that public health should take precedence over individual liberty during the coronavirus pandemic, a Rasmussen Reports poll said on Thursday.

"In dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, 52 percent of voters believe protecting public health is more important than protecting individual liberty. Forty percent (40 percent) disagree, and say protecting liberty is more important," a press release explaining the poll said.

About 30 percent of US adults have yet to be vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control. While many fear the vaccine, resistance also stems from a distrust of government mandates by libertarian-minded voters as well as the potential side-effects of the injections.

The poll indicates the two perspectives are somewhat intertwined.

Democrats (70 percent) are much more likely than Republicans (39 percent) or voters not affiliated with either major party (45 percent) to think protecting public health is more important than protecting individual liberty in dealing with the pandemic, the release said.

On whether COVID-19 jabs are safe and effective, Democrats (54 percent) are more likely than Republicans or unaffiliated voters (both 35 percent) saying they are "Very Confident" in coronavirus vaccine efficacy, the release added.

The survey of 1,000 US likely voters was conducted on August 2-3, 2021 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.