Biden vaccine mandate will overly impact the poor

On Thursday, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring all employers with 100 workers or more to “ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated.” This is yet the country’s most comprehensive mandate. It is estimated to impact over 80 million workers in the private sector. The results are likely to be significant, especially among low-income workers.

Disproportionate impact on poor Americans

According to the Census Bureau’s latest Household Survey, conducted in the last week of August, households with annual incomes less than $25,000 accounted for nearly 15 percent of the unvaccinated population — the largest share. Close to a third of all unvaccinated Americans live in households with annual incomes of less than $50,000. This means that low-income workers will be the most impacted by the vaccine mandate.

Over half of the unvaccinated reported being concerned about the possible side effects of the vaccine. Another 42 percent said they did not trust COVID-19 vaccines, and 39 percent did not trust the government. The vaccine mandate is unlikely to alleviate these concerns.

Conclusion

Unvaccinated Americans have legitimate concerns. They are worried about safety. Vaccine mandates do not address that, but only make it harder for the unvaccinated — the majority of whom are the poorest — to access new jobs or keep existing jobs in places where vaccines are mandated.