A majority of likely American voters are not confident the federal government is reporting unbiased information on the effectiveness of vaccines for the Chinese coronavirus, a Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group survey released Thursday revealed.
The survey asked respondents, “How confident are you that the federal government is reporting unbiased information on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines?”
Overall, a majority are not confident that the federal government is presenting unbiased information. Just over 50 percent, 50.8 percent, said they are either not very confident or not confident at all. Of those, 37.4 percent said they are not confident whatsoever.
Meanwhile, 44.5 percent expressed confidence, and of those, 28.4 percent are very confident.
The Florida Department of Health teamed up with Brevard Zoo in Viera to offer free COVID-19 vaccinations on Wednesday, August 4th. Those getting the shot here could also enjoy the zoo for free. (TIM SHORTT/USA TODAY NETWORK)
Opinions shift drastically along party lines. A majority of Democrats, 64.5 percent, are confident that the federal government is reporting unbiased information on the effectiveness of the vaccines, whereas 27.9 percent of Democrats disagree, expressing doubts.
Republicans overwhelmingly do not trust the government’s reporting on the issue, with 72.2 percent expressing little confidence. Of those, 54.4 percent said they are not confident at all.
Independents also tend to doubt the government’s truthfulness on the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines. According to the survey, 53.4 percent expressed a lack of confidence. Of those, 40 percent said they are not confident at all, either.
“Washington, DC has consistently released inconsistent, confusing, and conflicting information since the beginning of the pandemic. Is it any wonder that Americans are skeptical that ever-shifting announcements related to the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines are any different,” Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States Action, said in a statement.
“Instead of focusing on so-called misinformation spreading among citizens—who are attempting to discern fact from fiction—our leaders should focus instead on being truthful and scientific,” he added.
A staff member walks through the shelves at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Whetstone Branch on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. The library requires all staff regardless of vaccination status to wear masks inside buildings and is strongly encouraging patrons to wear a mask inside as well. (Joshua A. Bickel/ USA TODAY NETWORK)
The news coincides with the widespread occurrence of breakthrough infections of the Chinese coronavirus in fully vaccinated individuals.
On Thursday, Moderna revealed its two-dose mRNA vaccination is maintaining a 93 percent efficiency rate six months after the final dose, but the company said a booster shot will “likely be necessary” before the winter months.
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