Polling is beginning to reveal a group of Arizonans will remain steadfast in their opposition to getting vaccinated against COVID-19 no matter how bleak the pandemic gets.

OH Predictive Insights, a Phoenix-based polling, and marketing firm, released its monthly Arizona Public Opinion Pulse on Tuesday, showing the results of 1,000 state residents polled between Sept. 7 and Sept. 12.

It found 22% of respondents still would refuse the free vaccination even though they expressed more concern over a surging delta variant of the virus in Arizona.

Nearly half (49%) of those who would refuse a vaccine said they are “slightly/somewhat concerned” about the current state of the pandemic in Arizona. Additionally, 1 in 5 said they are extremely or moderately concerned. Despite this, over half of the vaccine-refusing Arizonans think the pandemic will remain the same over the next month compared with those who believe it will get better or worse.

“Tracking vaccine willingness has proven especially insightful in the last 6 months as we learn that a meaningful share of residents is unwavering in their decision against taking the COVID vaccine,” said Mike Noble, OHPI chief of research. “Analyzing the data from our polling has allowed us to paint a clearer picture of which groups are the most unwilling and understand the ‘why’ behind their decision by looking into what influences their opinion one way or another.”

Arizonans’ opinion of Gov. Doug Ducey seems to have softened.

The poll found 48% approve of Ducey’s handling of the fight against COVID-19. OHPI said this represents a “significant shift” from July 2020, when he saw an 18-point negative swing.

Ducey’s recent actions on school mandates aren’t popular, however. Half of those polled opposed the law he signed that bans mask mandates in schools, with 39% saying they “strongly oppose” the measure. Moreover, 57% opposed his threat to withhold any funds from schools that would defy the ban.

Ducey posed the issue as more of an incentive, offering additional funding for schools but on the condition they are compliant with state and federal laws.

One thing that remains broadly unpopular is the prospect of another stay-at-home order, where students potentially would return to online learning.

“Arizonans have little tolerance for another stay-at-home order or closing public schools again,” Noble said. “Mask mandates were the only combative measure that earned the support of a majority of residents.”

Only 24% supported a new stay-at-home order, while 28% approved sending children in public schools home to learn online.

In a shift of fortunes, President Joe Biden saw the approval of his handling of the pandemic plummet. The survey found Biden with a minus-4% net approval on his handling of the COVID-19 issue; a 36-percentage-point swing from four months ago.

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This article was published on September 21, 2021, and is reproduced with permission from The Center Square.