Poll: 16% of South Carolinians Say the Government Should Institute Mask and Vaccine Mandates

Fewer than one-fifth of South Carolina voters support mask and vaccine mandates, a Trafalgar Group survey released Thursday found.

When asked what the role of the government should be in addressing the Delta variant surge, just 16.2 percent said the government should institute mask and vaccine mandates.

A plurality of voters, 37.1 percent, said “let people proceed at their own risk making personal decisions about vaccines and masks,” followed by 26.2 percent who said the government should encourage businesses to mandate masks or vaccines. Another 19.2 percent said the government should encourage people to get vaccinated and inform them when masking is recommended.

A plurality of Republicans (49 percent) is in favor of allowing people to make their own decisions about vaccines and masks, while a plurality of Democrats, 36.1 percent said the government’s role should involve encouraging businesses to mandate masking or vaccinations.

Only 10.4 percent of Republicans said the government should institute mask and vaccine mandates, while 21.3 percent of Democrats said the same:

Overall, 53.3 percent of South Carolina voters said their concern over the virus is affecting their daily decisions, but Republicans are less likely to say that than Democrats.

Respondents also indicated that support of politicians in their state is intrinsically linked to their opinion of how to deal with the coronavirus. Across the board, 78.5 percent indicated that a politician disagreeing with their opinion of how to deal with the virus would “significantly” affect their support of him or her.

The survey, taken August 26-28, 2021, among 1,093 likely general election voters, has a margin of error of +/- 2.97 percent.

In May, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed an executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of wearing masks in school. The order also prohibited “any agency, department, official, or employee of the State of South Carolina, or any political subdivision thereof, from adopting or enforcing any order” related to vaccine passports.