Voters Want Young Children to Be Vaccinated Against the Coronavirus

By David Guirgis

In a national survey of likely voters, Data for Progress tested support for vaccinating children ages 5-11 against the coronavirus. Pfizer and BioNTech, the developers of the first coronavirus vaccine, released a statement last month stating that their vaccine was effective in protecting younger children against the virus. 

We find that, by a +28-point margin of support, voters support vaccinating children ages 5-11 against the coronavirus. Independents support vaccinating younger children by a +26-point margin, and over a third of Republicans share that sentiment.

The CDC and FDA are on the brink of approving the vaccine for use in younger children, and the White House is expected to announce plans for distribution after its approval. As the Delta variant continues to aggressively curtail government efforts to keep schools open, vaccinating younger children will help ensure that teachers and students are protected and that classrooms remain safe for use. 

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David Guirgis is a writing fellow at Data for Progress.

Methodology

From October 22 to 25, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,298 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. 

The margin of error is ±3 percentage points. N=1,298 unless otherwise specified. Some values may not add up to 100 due to rounding.