18 percent of Americans say they would quit their job over vaccine, mask mandates
Employed Americans said they are most likely to quit a job immediately if faced with COVID-19 vaccination and/or mask mandates, a new Morning Consult poll reveals.
When asked to describe something their employer could do to make them submit their resignation on the spot, 18 percent of respondents mentioned "vaccine, mask, or testing requirements," even without Morning Consult having mentioned COVID-19 in the prompt. The second-most cited reason was pay cuts — 14 percent of respondents said they would quit if their employer reduced their salary "for no good cause or reason."
Notably, the 18 percent opposed to vaccination and mask mandates "skews heavily Republican compared with the poll's broader sample of working Americans, and is also less likely to have graduated from college." Of the 18 percent, just under half — 47 percent — are Republicans, and 76 percent forwent higher education.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Executives are attempting to navigate the "difficult terrain" of vaccination mandates, which could "impact not only their employer branding, but the health and safety of their staff," writes Morning Consult.
"You take a reputational risk upfront, but you may be saving yourself from an outbreak of the infection later," said Anna Tavis, a clinical associate professor and academic director at the New York University School of Professional Studies Division of Programs in Business. "Employers are going to be weighing the risks of losing a certain percentage of their employees, but at the same time, protecting the rest."
Morning Consult surveyed 1,119 and 1,067 working Americans from June 23-27, 2021. The latter group has a margin of error of three percentage points. See more results at Morning Consult.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
The secrets of a 2,000-year-old burnt scroll
Under The Radar Researchers used artificial intelligence to 'virtually unwrap' ancient document
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - February 14, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - February 14, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - February 14, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - February 14, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
HMPV is spreading in China but there's no need to worry
The Explainer Respiratory illness is common in winter
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Marty Makary: the medical contrarian who will lead the FDA
In the Spotlight What Johns Hopkins surgeon and commentator Marty Makary will bring to the FDA
By David Faris Published
-
California declares bird flu emergency
Speed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu one mutuation from human threat, study finds
Speed Read A Scripps Research Institute study found one genetic tweak of the virus could enable its spread among people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published