Of the more than 10,000 registered voters polled between April 29 and May 5, two out of three said businesses like concert venues, sports stadiums, cruise ships and casinos should be allowed to check vaccination records of those who want to enter. About one-third disapproves of such a system.
The survey by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley sheds light on where Californians stand as the state begins to ease longstanding pandemic restrictions.
As of Tuesday, the state had a COVID-19 test positivity rate of less than 1 percent. About half of the state's population, 15 million people, are fully vaccinated as of Sunday, according to state data.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration plans to fully reopen the California economy on June 15, dispensing with the state's color-coded reopening tiers. At that time, California also plans to lift its mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals.
The survey also found 61 percent of voters support allowing employers to require their employees, in certain job categories, to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Only about one-third said the government should establish a nationwide vaccine verification system. Another third said government should play a limited role in vaccine verification, and 25 percent said government should not be involved in checking vaccine status at all.
Voters' opinions on vaccine verification divided sharply along partisan and ideological lines, researchers said. Democrats, liberals and vaccinated voters overwhelmingly support allowing some businesses to verify vaccines for their patrons and require them for employees.
In contrast, Republicans, strong conservatives, and those who say they are unlikely to get the vaccine stand opposed to those policies.
The same partisan lines appear when it comes to government involvement. Nearly nine in ten Democrats and liberals favor some government involvement in a vaccine verification system, with most supporting the government taking overall responsibility. By contrast, majorities of Republicans and strong conservatives favor no government involvement in this process.
"The findings show that even at this later stage, politics powerfully shapes the way that Californians think about vaccination and the reopening of society," IGS Co-Director G. Cristina Mora said in a statement.
Some Republicans, like Assemblyman Kevin Kiley of Rocklin, oppose any kind of "vaccine passports." Kiley last month introduced a bill that would block state agencies and governments from enacting digital health documentation policies, as well as prohibit public and private entities from requiring proof of vaccinations for customers.
Newsom has not announced any plans to implement a statewide vaccine passport. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in March that there will be no federal mandate requiring every American to obtain a vaccination credential, and there will be no centralized universal federal vaccinations database.
New York has set up a vaccination verification system. Its "excelsior pass" is a voluntary program where residents can present digital proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results that some sports events or art performances may require.
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