Nearly half of Dems say fines, prison time appropriate for questioning vaccines, poll says

WASHINGTON (TND) — A majority of Democrats support punitive and restrictive policies against the unvaccinated, according to the results of a new poll.

A recent national telephone and online survey from The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports says respondents who claimed to be Democrats supported a sort of house arrest for the unvaccinated, among other punishments and deterrents.

Fifty-nine percent of Democrats who took the poll were in support of a theoretical government policy which would confine those who have not been vaccinated to their own homes unless it was an emergency. Overall, sixty-one percent of all respondents were against the policy.

Almost half of Democrats who voted in the poll think state and federal governments should be allowed to either fine or imprison those who publicly question COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.

Forty-eight percent of Democrats taking the poll were in support of the criminal punishment of vaccine critics, whether the criticism appeared on television, radio, or even on social media. Overall, only twenty-seven percent of all respondents were in support of the punishment.

The poll also reportedly says it answers just how far Democrats are willing to go to punish those refusing to get the vaccine. Forty-five percent of Democrats who took the poll were in favor of the government forcing people who refuse the vaccine to live in designated facilities or locations. Twenty-nine percent of Democrats who took the poll reportedly say they would be in support of parents who are against getting vaccinated losing custody of their children.

Two-thirds of Democrat respondents to the poll were in support of the government using digital devices to track the unvaccinated to ensure they socially distance and remain properly quarantined.

While Democrat respondents seemed to either be split or in favor of these theoretical policies, Republican voters and others were often very much opposed to them. Seventy-eight percent of Republican respondents were against putting vaccine refusers into camps and only fourteen percent of Republican respondents favored criminal punishments for those who refuse vaccines.

The split is apparent all across the poll. Respondents were reportedly split on President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for American businesses, with about forty-eight percent supporting it and forty-eight percent opposing it.

The vaccine mandate was recently put to a halt by the Supreme Court, which saidthe Biden administration overstepped the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration by seeking to impose the vaccination requirement.

In a similar split, voters are divided on opinions over Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top COVID-19 expert. Forty-five percent of all poll voters see Fauci in a favorable light, while forty-eight see him in an unfavorable light.

After two excruciatingly long years, likely voters are beginning to question the federal government’s handling of the pandemic,” said senior editor and research fellow at The Heartland Institute Chris Talgo. “First and foremost, likely voters are beginning to sour on Dr. Anthony Fauci, who seems to have lost credibility after countless flip-flops.

The Heartland Institute commissioned this poll, which was taken onJanuary 5, 2022.

Moreover, almost half of likely voters oppose President Biden’s vaccine mandates, which seem less about stopping the spread of COVID-19 and more about increasing the power of the federal government," Talgo said. "When asked about several other potential strategies, such as fining those who refuse to get vaccinated, the consensus among likely voters is that the federal government should do less, not more.

To see the exact wording of the questions asked by the poll, you can follow this link.To read more about the poll's methodology, you can follow this link.