Politics & Government

76 Percent Of NJ Says Vaccine Mandates Are Not Attack On Freedom

Other states that ranked high for acceptance of vaccine mandates were Hawaii, Massachusetts and Connecticut, a survey found.

People getting the COVID vaccine at the Fort Washington Armory in New York City in the spring of 2021.
People getting the COVID vaccine at the Fort Washington Armory in New York City in the spring of 2021. (Patch Contributor)

NEW JERSEY — Three out of four New Jersey residents do not consider vaccine mandates an attack on their freedom, according to this survey from MyBioSource.com.

BioSource is a biotechnical products distribution company and they asked 6,430 Americans what they thought about vaccine mandates.

According to that survey, New Jersey is one of the American states most accepting of vaccine mandates, with 76 percent of Garden State residents saying they were OK with either the government or private employers requiring them to get the vaccine.

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Other states that ranked high for acceptance of vaccine mandates were Hawaii (83 percent), Massachusetts (81 percent) and Connecticut (74 percent).

On the other hand, the states that had the lowest acceptance of vaccine mandates were West Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia.

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Just on Friday, a judge upheld an order from Gov. Murphy that NJ corrections officers have to be vaccinated or will be fired. Prison inmates, however, do not have to be vaccinated. That order was challenged by the union representing correctional officers, who lost in court Friday.

In January, Murphy also passed an order requiring that all healthcare workers and workers in nursing homes not only be fully vaccinated but also show proof of getting a booster shot, or again lose their jobs.

President Joe Biden first announced that all employees of American businesses with 100 workers or more would be required to get a coronavirus vaccine or show proof of a negative test weekly. However, the Biden administration had to withdraw that mandate, after the Supreme Court ruled in January that it violated the U.S. Constitution.

Hawaii was the most accepting of vaccine mandates, with 83 percent of residents saying they did not see them as an intrusion, and West Virginia the least accepting, with 30 percent of residents saying they were OK with mandates.

The same company conducted another poll that showed the majority of Americans believe politicians should disclose their own vaccine status: 78 percent of New Jersey residents said politicians should disclose whether they are vaccinated or not (compared to a national average of 64 percent).

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