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September 13, 2021

Survey: Slim majority of CT employers approve of government vaccine mandate, 37% opposed

Yehyun Kim | CT Mirror Patricia Miglowiec, a registered nurse, prepares a COVID-19 vaccine at the Torrington Area Health District.
By Zachary Vasile

A recent survey of Connecticut companies suggests employers are divided over government vaccine mandates — an issue likely to come into sharper focus as President Joe Biden’s administration works out the details of a sweeping new mandatory vaccination rule for large businesses.

The Connecticut Business & Industry Association reported that 52% of respondents were supportive of government-issued vaccine requirements, while 37% were opposed and 11% were unsure.

The CBIA’s survey was conducted in August, before Biden’s new vaccination policy was announced, but the figures still offer insight into how businesses may be responding to the federal mandate, which comes as COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise and winter — an especially lethal season for the coronavirus — draws nearer.

The study found that 24% of responding companies reported workforce vaccination rates of 100%, while 42% said their immunization rates fell between 75% and 99% and 17% said they fell between 50% and 74%.

Biden’s mandate, announced Thursday, would require employers with more than 100 employees to have their workforce fully vaccinated or tested weekly for the coronavirus. Health care workers at facilities receiving funds from federal entitlement programs would face the same choice.

Contractors doing business with the executive branch of the federal government would have to have their entire staff vaccinated, with no opportunity to opt out through testing.

Most business and trade groups have not opposed the measure but have sought clarification from the White House on several key points, including how employers should go about verifying vaccinations, and who should pay for them.

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