Perhaps one of the greatest challenges now facing the state’s public health community is that Californians’ views about the pandemic have become highly politicized.
According to the latest Berkeley IGS Poll, Republican voters are less concerned about getting the virus themselves, worry less about people not wearing masks or maintaining proper social distancing in public, are less apt to get vaccinated and are much less likely to view vaccinations as a means of protecting the health of the larger population.
The poll, conducted in collaboration with UC’s Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute, also finds that Republicans express less support for public health policies aimed at reducing the spread of the virus or providing assistance to small businesses and workers directly impacted by it. CONTINUED
Mark DiCamillo, Berkeley IGS Poll