While Marylanders are being reminded to get their flu and RSV vaccines, they are also being reminded that COVID-19 boosters are available. But a new poll found that not everyone is rushing to get the shot.
The poll by Gonzales Research and Media Services showed that 52% of respondents said they will be getting their boosters this year, while nearly 42% said they will skip it.
And their willingness to get the booster shots appears tied to how they feel about the federal government’s handling of the pandemic.
The poll, which was released on Wednesday, found that 77% of those who approved of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic said they are getting their booster shots. In contrast, 66% of those who disapproved of the government response said they are not getting their booster shot.
Asked about how they would feel about if Maryland schools required staff, students and teachers to wear masks, respondents were nearly evenly split, with 47% saying they would support such a move, and 48% saying they’d oppose it.
On the intensity of their feelings about having mask requirements in Maryland public schools, 27% said they strongly supported it, and 20% said they somewhat supported it.
Among those who oppose masking up in schools, 13% said they somewhat oppose it, while 35% said they strongly oppose it.
When broken down by age, 52% of those between the ages of 18 and 34 supported masks in classrooms; the number dropped to the 44% to 47% range among older adults.
The survey has a margin of error of 3.5% and also asked Marylanders about their feelings on the direction the country is going. It also gauged feelings about possible presidential matchups between President Joe Biden and various GOP candidates, including former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
