Voters split on vaccine mandate and mask mandates for schools

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Poll® results show voters remain split on how officials are responding to the COVID pandemic.  When asked about the Biden Administration’s plan to require the COVID vaccine or regular testing for employers with 100 or more workers, 49% of respondents support the proposed rule compared to the 50% that oppose.

However, of the same respondents, 61% do not support employers forcing employees to receive the vaccine as a condition of employment. Thirty-three percent believe otherwise.

“While voters remain split on the response to combatting the COVID pandemic, there is little support when it comes to forcing individuals to choose between the vaccine and keeping their job,” said Jenell Leonard, Owner of MRG, LLC. “When vaccinations are made mandatory for employment, Michigan voters are opposed to it by an almost 2-1 margin.”

Respondents also remain split when asked about whether all schools should have a mask mandate. Forty-eight percent believe there should be a mask mandate for all schools, with 46% opposing the idea.

“Voters have strong opinions on either side of the issue of mask mandates for schools,” said Tom Shields, MRG’s Senior Advisor. “The issue of masks is better left to the parents and the local school boards.”

The Questions and Results

Q. The Biden Administration is issuing a federal rule that would require employers with 100 or more workers to ensure that their employees are vaccinated or tested regularly. Do you support or oppose this federal rule?    

Q. Do you agree that employees should be forced to get the vaccine as a condition of employment?        

Q. Should all schools have a mask mandate?

MRG Michigan Poll® Fall 2021

The survey of 602 likely Michigan voters was conducted by live interview October 18-24, 2021 with a +4 Dem sample. The sample was randomly drawn from a listed sample of all registered voters with a history of voting and stratified by city and township to reflect voter turnout. Quotas for gender and cell phone interviews were met within each geographic area, and extra efforts were made to reach African Americans. Fifty percent of the interviews were conducted with cell phone only or cell phone dominant households. Some columns may not add up to 100% because of rounding. Individual rounding may impact final totals. This survey yields a sampling margin of error of ±4 percent with a 95 percent confidence interval. The sampling margin of error for subgroups may be higher depending on the size of the subgroup.

About Marketing Resource Group

Lansing, Michigan-based Marketing Resource Group (www.mrgmi.com) is an award-winning PR firm representing corporate, association, nonprofit, and private clients with interests in Michigan. MRG offers expertise in public affairs, communications, political campaign management, and public opinion survey research. For more than thirty years, MRG has conducted its bi-annual omnibus Michigan Poll®, tracking the pulse of Michigan voters on key statewide public policy and political issues. MRG is the only Michigan public opinion survey research firm that maintains nearly 40 years of trend analyses of voter attitudes related to state and national leaders, political parties, and the political and economic climate in Michigan. Follow MRG on Twitter @mrgmichigan and on Facebook.