A JMC Analytics poll shows the anti-vax movement is very small in Louisiana. Pollster John Couvillon says his survey shows only 3% of adults disagree that vaccines are important for public health.
“It is basically an issue that despite the vociferous opinions that are being expressed does have wide support,” says Couvillon.
73-percent of respondents say those who refuse to vaccinate their kids are making a bad choice.
But only just over half of respondents think it should be illegal to refuse to get your kid vaccinated.
“When you start getting to the specifics where perhaps freedoms or limited freedoms are involved, that’s where you start seeing some softening of support, even though it is still overwhelming,” says Couvillon.
Only 23% of respondents thought vaccines often cause serious side effects.
Couvillon says the biggest take away for lawmakers is that just because a very vocal minority of people have expressed heavy opposition to vaccines, doesn’t mean they’re anything other than widely popular.
“You have issues from time to time that generate a lot of noise, but that does not necessarily translate to 51% opposition, which I think is the instructive lesson here for legislators,” says Couvillon.
700 people were polled by phone for the survey.
