Axios-Ipsos poll: Vaccine mandates seem to be working

Workers are more likely to get vaccinated when their employers require them to, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Why it matters: While that may sound obvious, the data proves that mandates are an important public health tool.

By the numbers: 80% of respondents whose employers require a COVID-19 vaccine said they were already vaccinated and another 10% said they were likely to get a vaccine.

• In comparison, at employers with no vaccine requirement, 68% said they'd already been vaccinated and another 6% were likely to get the vaccine.
• Meanwhile, 11% of respondents at employers with mandates said they were either "not likely" or were a "hard pass" on the idea, compared to 27% at employers with no mandates.

Yes, but: While the data doesn't prove a causality it does show strong relationships between employer policies and workers' behavior and attitudes, pollster Chris Jackson, senior vice president for Ipsos Public Affairs told Axios' Margaret Talev.

• "It does tell us that businesses that are requiring vaccinations are seeing more employees vaccinated and fewer employees opposed to the vaccine than businesses that aren't requiring it," Jackson said.

Between the lines: Mandates are on the rise: 19% of respondents in the survey said their employers are requiring all workers to get vaccinated, up from 16% two weeks ago.

• And 54% said employers are requiring all workers to wear masks in the workplace, up from 51%.