One-quarter in Texas unwilling, unlikely to get vaccinated: poll

Almost one-quarter of Texans are unwilling or unlikely to get the COVID-19 vaccine, a new poll from The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler found.

The poll found 5 percent are unlikely and 18 percent unwilling to get the coronavirus vaccine as vaccine mandates are becoming more popular in the country.

The percentage of parents who will not get their children vaccinated is even higher, with 9 percent saying they probably won't get their children vaccinated and 28 percent saying they will not.

The vaccine was recently approved for those above the age of 5 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus vaccine has been mandated for many jobs across the country and is required to get into public spaces in a number of cities.

President Biden announced a vaccine mandate for companies with more than 100 employees, but it has been held up by court challenges. Texans are split over the mandate, with 48 percent supporting it and 42 percent opposed. Ten percent said they are unsure about it.

Texas has been among the least restrictive states amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott banning mask mandates in schools.

Forty-eight percent of residents support the mask ban, while 45 percent oppose the governor's move. Seven percent were unsure if they support it.

The poll was conducted from Nov. 9 to Nov. 16 and surveyed 1,106 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.