A majority of Russian respondents (63%) disapprove of the idea of compulsory coronavirus vaccination, according to a poll by the SuperJob portal published Thursday.
Moscow and three other Russian regions announced mandatory vaccination for service-sector workers Wednesday, pointing to a “dramatic” rise in cases and dwindling vaccination rates. Under the decree, businesses operating in the hospitality, education, healthcare and entertainment sectors will be required to vaccinate 60% of their workforces.
Roughly one in four (23%) of Russians supported compulsory vaccination, SuperJob said.
Respondents aged 35-44 were least likely to support the idea of compulsory vaccination (18%) compared to 26% of Russians over 45.
The latest results show a slight increase in support from May, when former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had floated the possibility of mandatory vaccinations — an idea that 19% of respondents supported and 66% opposed.
While Russia was the first country in the world to register a Covid-19 vaccine with Sputnik V, its domestic vaccination campaign has been hampered by widespread skepticism among the public and only 13% of the population has been vaccinated so far.
Superjob conducted its survey among 1,600 Russians in 370 settlements on June 16.
