Survey: 58% of Government Employees Support Vaccine Mandates

More than half (58%) of government employees support vaccine mandates at work, according to a survey conducted in August by experience management firm Qualtrics.

The percentage of government employees supporting vaccine mandates is on par with the 60% of American employees across all industries who support a vaccine mandate, and slightly lower than tech workers—75% of whom favor vaccine mandates. Among government employees surveyed, 11% said they would strongly consider leaving their jobs if forced to comply with a vaccination requirement, while 27% of tech employees and 23% of overall employees said the same.  

The survey preceded President Joe Biden’s Sept. 9 executive order requiring federal employees and contractors to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Recent guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force created a Nov. 22 deadline for federal employees to become fully vaccinated or be subject to disciplinary action. The guidance includes federal employees maximum telework status or working remotely.

“Vaccine requirements are a deeply polarizing national issue, but nearly two-thirds of employees support a mandate where they work,” Sydney Heimbrock, chief industry advisory for government at Qualtrics, said in a statement. “Employers who have already had to navigate a sudden transition to remote work and complex safety requirements in the last 18 months now face their next hurdle: soliciting important health information from all employees. This will require organizations to lead with empathy and mutual understanding.”