A political science professor at Lehigh University, Anthony DiMaggio, has reported important findings regarding the correlation between age, political orientation, and views on the COVID vaccine. According to DiMaggio, refusing a vaccine has more to do with being young than being right-wing.
Based on recent data analysis, Professor DiMaggio has determined there is greater contrast between Americans over 65 and under 65 who have gotten the vaccine versus between Democrats and Republicans. This means that age likely has a greater impact on whether people get vaxxed than political viewpoints.
One of DiMaggio’s data sets was from Pew University, which reported 66% of Americans ages 18-29 had received at least one COVID vaccine since this past summer. In contrast, 86% of those over 65 had been vaxxed.
When considering political parties, 80% of Republicans 65 and up had received at least one COVID vaccine dose, while only 45% of Republicans between 18 and 29 had gotten the jab.
94% of Democrats 65 and older had gotten one shot, while 81% of Democrats 18-29 years old reported getting the shot.
Mayo Clinic data showed similar comparisons between age groups instead of by political party.
DiMaggio found his data analysis results surprising since the public perception is that the main reason for resisting COVID vaccination is being a Republican. “The narratives have been mainly about the Republican Party and I’ve read quite a bit about white evangelicals [being resistant], but I haven’t seen as many people talking about age and that was by far and away the biggest thing going on here.”
These findings counter statements from leading Democrat figures such as Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden, who have ridiculed Republicans for leading the “anti-vaxxers”. Professor DiMaggio’s findings suggest that political affiliation, while still a factor in the vaccine debate, is not the most prominent factor in who is and is not vaccinated.
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