A new poll conducted by Echelon Insights suggests that voters in Florida overwhelmingly support approving the updated flu vaccine schedule ahead of the season to ensure vaccines are available as soon as possible.
By the Numbers
Echelon Insights conducted a poll of 600 likely Florida voters between August 4th and August 6th, asking whether they favored or opposed the federal government's move to approve the updated flu vaccines.
71% of those surveyed were in favor of the updated vaccines' approval, with just 14% opposed, and half of the 71% were strongly in favor.
A further breakdown of the poll results shows that among Republicans, 63% favored approval, with only 20% opposing, and self-identified MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) supporters similarly backed approval, 64% to 21% in opposition.
Even among Floridians who do not take the flu vaccine, where the ratio of support is narrowest, still largely approve of the measure, with 46% of non-vaccinated voters favoring approval and 29% opposing.
Finally, voters over the age of 65 – Florida's most influential voting bloc – are among the most strongly in favor of approval, with 76% in favor and just 12% opposed.
Moreover, 72% of all respondents supported protecting existing appropriations for senior and low-income vaccine programs, while 68% wanted a panel of vaccine experts convened.
Trump's Vaccine Policy
Earlier in August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at spacing out childhood vaccine schedules and reducing the number of doses, as the MAHA movement argues for parents being more flexible with immunizations.
At the same time, some have argued that the order was ill-timed, as increasing flexibility is generally viewed, even among MAHA supporters, as a lesser priority than lowering healthcare costs and removing chemical additives from food.
Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, said with most Americans viewing vaccines positively and believing children should be vaccinated to attend school, even among Republicans, Trump's announcement "does not strike me as the most persuasive political message."
