NEW POLL: Overwhelming majority of Americans reject vaccine nationalism, want a presidential candidate with a global plan to defeat COVID-19

WASHINGTON — Just weeks after the Trump administration announced it would not participate in an international plan to develop and deploy a globally accessible COVID-19 vaccine – new polling conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The ONE Campaign found an overwhelming majority of Americans – including those who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 – reject the idea of vaccine nationalism. The poll also found that three-quarters of registered voters would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate that has a global plan to defeat COVID-19, and forms alliances with other countries to develop and produce treatments and vaccines.

Key findings from the nationwide poll of 1,986 registered voters in the US:

• Voters reject vaccine nationalism: The poll found that 83 percent of registered voters believe health care workers, the elderly and at-risk groups anywhere in the world should be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine, before healthy people in the US. Over three-quarters of respondents who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 agreed. Three- quarters of voters (77%) support U.S. participation in the global COVID-19 vaccine effort, with strong bipartisan support (Dem. 82%, Rep. 74%).
• Americans are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who has a global plan to develop and produce vaccines and defeat COVID-19: Three-quarters of registered voters indicated that they would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who has a global plan to defeat COVID-19 (76%) and works with other countries to develop and produce coronavirus treatments and vaccines (78%), including two-thirds of respondents who voted for Donald Trump in 2016.
• 50 percent of Americans give Trump an “F” or “D” grade for his handling of COVID-19 pandemic: While President Trump gave himself a A+ on his handling of the COVID-19 response, voters disagree. 50 percent gave Trump an “F” or “D” for his handling of the pandemic – a majority of those respondents identifying as independents. Over 50 percent of respondents gave Dr. Fauci’s efforts on the COVID-19 response an “A” or a “B”.
• Americans want a presidential candidate who supports safe standards for a vaccine. While President Trump has criticized the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement to tighten requirements for emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine, 80 percent of Americans would be more likely to vote for a candidate who abides by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s standards for safety and efficacy to ensure the quality of coronavirus vaccines for Americans.
• Voters see U.S. leadership in fighting disease on the decline: There is a 36 to 39-point difference between voters who say that it is important for the U.S. to be a leader vs. those who say the U.S. currently is a leader in the responding to, preventing, and detecting infectious disease
• Voters overwhelmingly believe the US should do more to combat future pandemics: 72 percent say the US should be doing more to prevent future pandemics globally and 73 percent believe the US should be doing more to prevent future pandemics in the US.

“Defeating COVID-19 everywhere isn’t just sound policy, it’s now smart politics. These results show voters from both parties want our nation’s leaders to do more to end this pandemic around the globe and promote a globally accessible vaccine,” said Tom Hart, North America executive director, The ONE Campaign. “We hope lawmakers will listen to the American public, pledge to fairly distribute an eventual COVID-19 vaccine globally and fund proven global health programs like Gavi and the Global Fund that save lives. The only strategy that will effectively protect people here is one that tackles the pandemic everywhere.”

The poll was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The ONE Campaign. The survey was comprised of 1,986 registered US voters between September 18-20 with a margin of error of  +/- 2 percent.

View the poll results here and the crosstabs can be found here.

BACKGROUND ON THE IMPORTANCE OF GLOBAL VACCINE ACCESSIBILITY

If the coronavirus outbreak has taught us anything, it’s that global health security is only as strong as its weakest link. An effective vaccine is the key to keeping people safe from this virus and reopening the global economy. But, we can only defeat COVID-19 around the world if we ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to a COVID-19 vaccine. That is why the US must commit to fairly distribute a vaccine and support proven global health programs like Gavi, the Global Fund and CEPI.

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