Joe Raedle/Getty Images
An overwhelming and bipartisan majority of Americans say they would “distrust” any coronavirus vaccine that was released before Election Day in November.
According to an Economist/YouGov poll released Thursday, concerns about the safety and efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine released in time for the election abound.
Respondents to the poll were asked “If the government announced there was a COVID-19 vaccine right before the election, how much would you trust that the vaccine would be safe and effective?”
Among all respondents, 59 percent said they would either “distrust somewhat” or “distrust completely” the safety and efficacy of such a vaccine — with 36 percent saying they would completely distrust it.
And while there is partisan disagreement on a number of coronavirus-related issues, 50 percent of Republicans agree with the majority that a pre-Election Day vaccine would not be trustworthy.
Even among those who intend to vote for President Donald Trump in November, a significant plurality — 44 percent to 39 percent — say they won’t trust a vaccine.
Economist/YouGov poll
Coronavirus vaccines are a hotter topic than usual this week, as Trump and CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield have publicly contradicted each other on the issue, then publicly struggled to realign.
Elsewhere in the same poll, respondents were asked “Coronavirus vaccines are being fast-tracked through the approval process. How concerned are you about the safety of coronavirus vaccines?”
A whopping 72 percent of all respondents said they were either “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” — including 70 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of Trump voters. Only 39 percent of respondents said they will be vaccinated “if and when” one becomes available.
While public health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci have tried to assure the public that political interference will play no role in vaccine approval, public opinion indicates concerns about rushing out a vaccine are top-of-mind.