Vaccination status may permanently impact relationships for Millennials and GenZ, a new poll revealed.
The Harris Poll reported that roughly 33% of Millennials and 30% of Gen Zers have cut contact with acquaintances, friends, or family members who won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The August 2021 poll surveyed 1,334 U.S. adults and categorized them by generation.
In contrast, 9% of Gen Xers and 7% of baby boomers have ended contact with someone who has not been vaccinated.
John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll, told Axios, “It’s the new cultural dividing line. Three in 10 Gen Zers, and even more millennials, have ghosted friends who would not get vaccinated.”
“The poll found only 15% of Americans said they expect party hosts to require vaccination,” reports Axios. “Two-thirds say they’d require attendees to be immunized if they were hosting an event and 37% would require vaccination regardless of party size.”
Millennials are the generation that is most likely to have young children who cannot be vaccinated. This could account for heightened anxiety and preferences for vaccinations.
“In addition, older Americans tend to have a higher COVID-19 vaccination rate, which could contribute to the survey’s generational divide,” per MarketWatch.
The survey analysis comes as other sources continue to show that Millennials and GenZ are the American generations least likely to get vaccinated.
A survey of 30,000 Americans from Morning Consult indicated that 53% of adults under 35 reports they have gotten, or plan to get, vaccinated. That is less than any other age group.
The survey also found that older Americans hesitate to get vaccinated because of potential side-effects, while younger people were “more likely than older adults to indicate a distrust for the vaccines’ efficacy, as well as for the companies making the vaccines,” per NBCLX.
In addition to concerns over the side effects, respondents regardless of age expressed concern that the vaccination trials moved too quickly.
