By Curtis Hubbard
Majorities of Coloradans are embracing COVID-19 vaccines and have favorable views of Gov. Jared Polis, according to the latest Keating–OnSight–Melanson (KOM) Colorado Poll™ released Monday.
Other notable findings:
- 6-of-10 voters approve of Polis’ handling of the pandemic (61% approve, 33% disapprove);
- and a majority support a ban on the sale of assault weapons in Colorado (57% support, 40% oppose).
This round of KOM polling has been released in two parts. Part one measured voter attitudes toward several federal officials and policies. Part two, which is being released today, measures voter attitudes on state issues — notably the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines.
Asked about their vaccine status, 63% of respondents said they had received at least one dose and 10% said they planned on being vaccinated, for a planned vaccine rate of 73%.
“The encouraging news as we enter year two of the pandemic is that we see strong support for vaccines across almost every demographic,” said pollster Chris Keating. “But there is clearly more work to do to improve rates among Republicans and in rural areas, where the number of people who have or plan to be vaccinated lags.”
Among Republicans, 56% have received or plan to receive a vaccine, and in the 53 rural counties, the figure is 64%.
A total of 15% of respondents said they don’t plan on being vaccinated. Allowed to pick from multiple reasons for not getting the vaccine, their top selections were that the threat of COVID-19 is overstated (50%), that they don’t think vaccines are safe (49%), and that the vaccine was developed too quickly (47%).
Another 12% said they are not sure whether they will receive the vaccine. Their top reasons for uncertainty: the vaccine was developed too quickly (63%), concern about short-term side effects (52%), and mistrust of the government to administer vaccines (23%).
“Keep in mind this is a likely-voter universe of adults and there is not yet a vaccine for those under age 16, so the percentage of Coloradans who aren’t — or won’t be — vaccinated is higher than our findings,” said Curtis Hubbard, of OnSight Public Affairs. “Among the things COVID-19 has taught us: it doesn’t care about political affiliations or where you live. Returning to something that resembles normal is going to require higher percentages of us to get vaccinated.”
Colorado voters generally feel good about Gov. Polis (58% favorable, 38% unfavorable) and give him high marks on the job he is doing on the coronavirus outbreak. A 2-to-1 majority (61%) approve of the job he is doing compared to one-third (33%) who disapprove.
“Gov. Polis has navigated the last 13 months quite well and Colorado voters have noticed,” said Mike Melanson, a Democratic strategist. “Balancing safety and the economic well-being of the state has not been an easy task, but he has largely succeeded.”
Finally, asked about a law that would ban the sale of assault weapons in Colorado, a 57% majority support it and 40% oppose it.
An assault-style weapon similar to an AR-15 was used to kill 10 people shopping at a Boulder, Colorado, King Soopers on March 22 of this year. In 2012, an assault weapon was used to kill 12 people watching a movie in Aurora, Colorado. Colorado women are more supportive of a ban on assault weapons (63% support to 34% oppose), while men are more divided on the issue (50% support to 48% oppose).
A ban on the sale of assault weapons in Colorado is overwhelmingly supported by Democrats (87% support), plus a majority of Unaffiliated voters (57% support) and among voters in the Colorado suburbs (57% support to 42% oppose). The ban on the sale of assault weapons is opposed by 3-of-4 Republicans (74% oppose).
Conducted regularly by Keating Research, OnSight Public Affairs, and Mike Melanson — the KOM Colorado Poll provides informative, accurate results using online surveys and was Colorado’s most accurate in the 2020 and 2016 Presidential elections and the 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial race.
The April KOM Colorado Poll was based on online interviews with 528 likely Colorado voters, April 20-26, 2021, and had a MOE of plus or minus 4.3%.