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Should teachers be vaccinated sooner?

Chris Hopkins Political Research Director 28 January 2021

The latest Savanta ComRes polling looks at the decision to push school reopening back until 8th March and whether teachers should get the vaccine sooner.

70% say teachers and other school staff should be vaccinated alongside those in priority groups 5-9

  • 70% say teachers and other school staff should be vaccinated alongside those in priority groups 5-9; 20% say they should not

  • 71% support the decision to push the reopening of schools to all pupils back until at least early March; 16% oppose

  • Support slightly lower (64%) among parents of primary-school age children

  • Three in five (60%) say children will actually return to school later than March 8th

Our latest snap poll of English adults from Savanta ComRes has found that seven in ten (70%) say that teachers and other school staff should be vaccinated alongside those in priority groups 5-9. Despite potentially taking vaccines away from those aged 50-69, and those under 65 who are at risk, just one in five (20%) English adults said that teachers should not be vaccinated alongside those groups.

Our poll comes as the Prime Minister announced yesterday (27th January) that schools are to remain closed until at least the 8th March, despite having originally planned for them to reopen after February half term on 22nd February.

Seven in ten (71%) English adults support the Prime Minister’s decision to push the reopening of schools to all pupils back until at least early March, with the decision generally supported to similar levels across all demographic groups and political persuasions. Just 16% of English adults oppose the decision. However, significantly fewer parents of children of primary school age supported the decision, although it still attracted majority support (64% support vs 25% oppose).

Despite the Prime Minister’s hope to get all children back into schools by March 8th, three in five (60%) say that children will probably return to schools later, with one in six (18%) saying they’ll likely go back in March but later than the PM plans, and more than two in five (42%) saying children will likely return to school at some point after the Easter holidays.

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