60 percent of Americans say too many use religious reason to avoid vaccines: poll

A new Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll found that almost 60 percent of Americans say too many people are using religious reasons as a way to avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine. 

The poll found 59 percent of Americans think religious reasons are used too often to avoid getting the vaccine, while 60 percent believe there is no valid religious reason not to get it.

And while most coronavirus vaccine mandates in the U.S. come with exemptions, 45 percent of respondents said they think there should be no religious exemptions for the vaccine.

The poll found 52 percent of those who refuse to get the vaccine cite personal religious reasons, while 33 percent say it goes against their religious teachings. 

It is up to individual employers and officials who process vaccine exemptions to decide if a person who applies for one has a valid claim.

Republicans have been more likely to rebuff vaccination against the coronavirus and oppose the mandates implemented by employers and the government. 

The poll found 20 percent of Republicans say the vaccine goes against their personal religious beliefs while 11 percent say it goes against their religious teachings. 

Republicans are most likely to be in favor of religious exemptions, at 73 percent, while only 33 percent of Democrats feel the same. Fifty-three percent of independents are in favor of religious exemptions. 

The survey was conducted from Oct. 18 to Nov. 9 with 5,336 adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.