A recent survey conducted by College Pulse on 1,500 undergraduates in the US shows that 3 in 10 college Republicans do not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The poll was carried out following announcements by several universities mandating their students to receive COVID-19 shots before in-person classes resume in the fall.
Twenty-eight percent of college Republicans say they do not want any vaccine, despite availability. The number is seven times higher than the percentage of Democratic students who report that they do not wish to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Lack of information about vaccines is the main reason behind the high number of Republicans in higher education saying no to being vaccinated, according to the survey.
Meanwhile, the poll finds that 3 in 10 college students in the country have already received at least one dose.
Majority Expect On-Campus Safety Precautions
As a growing number of universities announce their return to face-to-face classes this September, the majority of students say they expect to find COVID-19 safety precautions on-campus.
Among undergraduates surveyed, 68 percent expect to see hand sanitizing stations, while 63 percent want to see students and professors wearing masks indoors.
Additionally, about half of the students who took part in the poll said they expect physically distanced spaces and regular COVID-19 testing in the fall semester.
The survey was conducted from March 23 to April 5, with a margin of error of approximately 2.9 percent.