Majority Of NYers Want A Mandated Vaccine Passport: Patch Survey

NEW YORK, NY — With summer events and vacation possibilities just around the corner, most New Yorkers aren't too worried about the possibility of having to prove their vaccine status to jump back into somewhat-regular life, according to a Patch survey.

A recent Patch survey about found that more than 55 percent of New Yorkers believe in mandating the use of a "vaccine passport" — which shows COVID-19 vaccination or test status — statewide for travel, events and other activities.

About the same number of the nearly 1,000 people surveyed said they don't have privacy concerns about the passport, which has become a hot-button issue across the country.

Even some who had concerns agreed they'd feel safer going to an event or eating in a restaurant knowing those around them are vaccinated, with nearly 58 percent of people answering yes to that question.

"There really shouldn’t be a problem with showing proof of vaccines when we already have to show vaccine proof for other things. If we want to return to some new normal then get vaccinated & continue to live your life," one respondent wrote.

Still, while not a majority, hundreds of New Yorkers remain varying degrees of hesitant about the vaccine passport idea, including those who said they aren't planning to get the shot.

Worries about private health information and the role of government were common causes for concern, according to the responses.

"I don’t want my personal health information in the hands of NYC, NY State or Fed govt. I don’t trust what they will do with it," one person wrote.

Others were less measured: "THEY TRYNA TURN US INTO DIGITAL SLAVES," one person wrote.

Here's a look at the survey results: