A new survey released on Thursday revealed that up to 37% of unvaccinated workers, who represent about 5% of all U.S. adults, said they would rather leave their jobs rather than comply with a COVID vaccine mandate, even if the mandate would allow for weekly testing in lieu of getting the jab. When the weekly testing option is removed, the number spikes to 72%.
The survey was conducted and released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which found vocal opposition to the COVID vaccine mandate. However, they also found that despite this public outrage over COVID vaccine mandates among public and private organizations, only a few have actually left their jobs over a mandate.
Only one-quarter of all workers surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation in October admitted that their employer issued a COVID vaccine mandate, a rise from 9% in June and 19% in September.
Notably, President Joe Biden announced his sweeping COVID vaccine mandate in early September, ordering all federal employees and contractors, as well as private companies with 100 or more employees to require the jab among its workers. However, only 5% of unvaccinated workers or 1% of all American adults confirmed that they have left their jobs as a result of a COVID vaccine mandate.
According to the New York Post, the recently released survey asked 1,519 respondents aged 18 and above in the U.S. between October 18 to 24. The poll only asked whether they have quit because of a COVID vaccine mandate, but not whether they had done so with a vaccine requirement that had a testing option with it.
Right now, Biden's COVID vaccine mandate for federal and private organizations lies with Occupational Safety and Health Administration as they review and establish legal requirements to implement it. Another more targeted order will also apply to federal employees and government contractors who only have until December 8 to ensure that all their workers are fully vaccinated. Republican leaders have opposed the legislation, promising to file lawsuits as soon as it takes effect.
Despite representing only 1% of all U.S. adults, those unvaccinated individuals who would rather leave their jobs than get the COVID vaccine represent thousands across theU.S. In fact, in Washington state alone, almost 1,900 workers have quit or have been fired for denouncing the COVID vaccine mandate, NPR reported. In Michigan, 400 healthcare workers at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit have left their jobs, further crippling the hospital system that is already struggling to deal with the COVID pandemic. In North Carolina's Novant Health, 175 were let go from their jobs.
The President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) on Thursday spoke out against Biden's COVID vaccine mandate, calling it "demoralizing and demeaning" during a virtual press conference on Thursday, Breitbart reported. FLEOA President Larry Cosme was on hand to comment on the "Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed Act" that Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee introduced this week.
"The essential workers...were making spilt second decisions to maximize the public health and safety throughout the pandemic," Cosme argued. "And now to villainize these essential workers and telling them you have to have a mandated vaccine and you can't make decisions about your own health - that's sort of demoralizing and demeaning to the men and women that are essential workers and the people we represent in the federal law enforcement community."
