A majority of voters in Virginia support The University of Virginia’s (UVA) policy to unenroll students who did not get the COVID-19 vaccine or apply for a religious or medical exemption, according to a new poll.
In a poll conducted by Monmouth University, 53 percent of registered voters approve of UVA’s decision to disenroll students who refused to report if they were vaccinated or applied for an exemption. Another 43 percent of respondents disagreed with UVA’s decision. The remaining 4 percent say it “depends” or they “don’t know.”
As we reported, UVA disenrolled hundreds of students last month who presumably did not obtain the COVID-19 vaccine, which was a requirement for students returning for the fall semester. Eligible students could apply for a religious or medical exemption. 96 percent of the student population and counting had received the vaccine at the time the students were disenrolled. Out of the 238 students who were disenrolled, only 49 were registered for in-person classes for the fall term.
Other topics the poll surveyed were school mask mandates and vaccine mandates in Virginia. An overwhelming 67 percent of registered voters support the requirement that students, teachers, faculty and staff in Virginia schools wear masks this year. 58 percent believe that children ages 12 and older should be required to be vaccinated to attend school in-person. 52 percent of respondents think these requirements should be put in place for children under age 12 if the vaccine is authorized for that age group.
Respondents were divided when asked if they supported in-person school this upcoming year. 43 percent believe schools should be in-person, while 41 percent believe school should be a mixture of in-person and remote learning. A mere 12 percent believe that Virginia schools should be entirely remote this year. In a smaller sample of parents of children under 18 years old, nearly half, 49 percent, believe that schools should be fully in-person. 38 percent opt for a hybrid model, while 12 percent want fully remote learning.
In addition to questions surrounding the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, other topics surveyed were Virginia voter’s opinions on President Biden and Gov. Ralph Northam (D). Overall, Biden’s job approval rating was negative – 46 percent approve and 49 percent disapprove. Northam’s job approval rating stands at 48 percent of respondents approving and 42 percent disapproving. 59 percent of respondents say he has done a good job dealing with the pandemic while less than one-third, 27 percent, say he has done a bad job.
With Virginia’s gubernatorial race well underway, issues pertaining to school COVID-19 mandates and other preventative measures to curb the spread of the virus will surely be deciding factors for voters on November 2.
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