Americans are ending friendships over COVID-19 vaccination status, according to a new poll.
Of those who have ended a friendship during the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 66% are vaccinated and 17% do not plan to receive the vaccine, per a recent survey of 1,000 participants.
Overall, 16% of respondents have cut three friends from their lives since the pandemic began in March 2020, according to pollsters with OnePoll Research, a marketing research company, which conducted the survey on Sept. 2.
Of the vaccinated people polled, 14% said they ended a relationship because a friend did not want to get the COVID-19 vaccination. And, of those who called it quits with a pal, 17% are unvaccinated.
Pollsters said a vast majority of vaccinated people, about 97%, consider their former friends to be “full-blown anti-vaxxers” and said they could never get them to understand the importance of the vaccine.
- Sign up for WTOP alerts
- Sign up for WTOP’s coronavirus email newsletter
- Latest coronavirus test results in DC, Maryland and Virginia
- Latest COVID-19 vaccination numbers in DC, Maryland and Virginia
- FAQ: What CDC’s latest guidelines mean for DC region
Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.
The questionnaire asked unvaccinated people why they have not received the vaccine too. Many of them said it was a personal choice, because they are worried about potential side effects.
Another reason many of the respondents cut ties with a buddy during the pandemic: different political views.
