Harris Poll COVID-19 Tracker Wave 67

In The Harris Poll COVID-19 Tracker (Week 67) fielded June 4th to 6th, 2021 among 2,014 U.S. adults, we look at the impact of pharma’s push for full FDA approval for the COVID-19 vaccine, the future of the cruise industry, banks getting a digital makeover, tech’s role in corporate sustainability, and boxing’s alternate universe.

As a public service, our team has curated key insights to help leaders navigate COVID-19. Full survey results, tables, and weekly summaries can be accessed for free at The Harris Poll COVID-19 Portal. We will continue to actively field on a regular cadence to track the shifts in sentiment and behaviors as the news and guidelines evolve.

Pharma’s Big Push for Full FDA Approval for COVID Vaccines

In the past couple of weeks, both Moderna and Pfizer applied for full FDA approval for their COVID-19 vaccines, one of the outcomes being that they would be able to directly market to consumers. We took a deep dive into how that might impact vaccination rates and mindsets on mandates. 

• A majority (70%) are at least somewhat aware that there is a difference between full and emergency use authorization for vaccines, including a majority (61%) of those who say they will not get vaccinated.
• Two thirds (65%) of Americans have heard about the pharma companies’ pursuit of full use authorization and awareness of the topic grows as the age group gets older with (56%) of Gen Zers aware compared to (71%) of Boomers.
• Full FDA approval means the pharmaceutical companies can market their product directly to consumers. Knowing this, more than half (54%) of unvaccinated Americans say hearing directly from the manufacturers would make them more comfortable about getting vaccinated.
• Nearly seven in ten (69%) of all Americans say that they support manufacturers getting full approval because it provides schools and employers a pathway to mandate vaccines in their facilities. This is especially true among those already vaccinated (87%), Democrats (81%), and Boomers (80%).

Takeaway: Our data signals that full FDA approval might help pharmaceutical companies gain the trust of unvaccinated Americans, and help us inch closer to herd immunity.

Most Americans Would Specifically Look for a Cruise Line With a Vaccination Mandate: Forbes-Harris Poll

As cruising gets ready to reboot this summer after a pause of more than a year, it appears that re-entry to U.S. waters may face some headwinds. More on the future of the cruise industry from our latest poll covered exclusively in Forbes:

• Only half of Americans (50%) are confident that the cruise industry can continue to reopen safely coming out of the pandemic – dead last compared to other industries and a 32-point difference compared to top-rated retail stores.
• Notably, consumer confidence also lags well behind other travel subcategories such as hotels (79%), airlines (69%), and amusement parks (63%).
• Six in ten (59%) Americans said that if they were going to take a cruise, they would specifically look for a cruise line that mandated all crew and passengers be vaccinated against COVID.

Takeaway: Our data suggests Americans are supportive of CDC guidance that says ships must have a certain percentage of fully vaccinated crew members and passengers to operate, signaling that the return to cruising will be centered where CDC guidance is enforced.

Banks Like Citi and Chase Get a Digital Makeover as Branches Disappear: Ad Age-Harris Poll

From shopping to working to banking, COVID-19 has transformed the way Americans do business. More findings from our latest poll in partnership with Ad Age.

• A majority (57%) of Americans conduct between 76% and 100% of their personal banking digitally.
• One in four (40%) of Americans in households with income below $50,000 do not conduct any personal banking digitally, compared with (12%) of households making $75,000 or more – shining a light on the economic digital divide in America.
• For the most part, the pandemic did not increase the frequency of banking app usage: Only (27%) of Americans said they used their financial institutions’ mobile app more during the pandemic. 
• However, mobile payments made some headway during the pandemic, especially with younger consumers: (30%) report using mobile payments more during the pandemic, with (42%) percent of Millennials and (40%) of Gen Zers saying the same.

Takeaway: “With everything shut down, people realized just how capable the digital banking portal could be,” says Michael Perito, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. While physical branches still serve a purpose—as a marketing tool or to provide a place for high-end services—even those factors are fading in relevance.

Technology’s Role in Corporate Sustainability Journeys: Cognite-Axios -Harris Poll

The recently released Cognite Sustainability Report, conducted in partnership with Axios and The Harris Poll, interviewed energy industry leaders and focused on sustainability and technology across the industry. 

• Two thirds (68%) of energy leaders believe the industry can reach net-zero emissions by 2050, however, only (50%) are currently satisfied with the industry’s efforts to address sustainability.
• Three quarters of U.S. energy leaders also agree that many companies in this industry say they want to be more environmentally sustainable but aren’t willing to actually shoulder the cost of doing so.
• Over three quarters (77%) of energy leaders say transformative technology is an immediate way to become more sustainable. And over a third (35%) say they are using data to help their company make more actionable decisions.
• Another (41%) are currently leveraging software to automate data collection, emissions calculations, decision support tools and more.

Takeaway: Dr. Francois Laborie, President of Cognite, wrote in Forbes that with more transformative technology “we can then shift resources to larger investments in environmental sustainability — energy diversification, electrification, natural resource sustainability, etc. — to drive the energy transition forward.”

Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul Showcases Boxing’s Alternative Universe: Axios-Harris Poll

One of the greatest boxers of all time returned to the ring this past weekend — to fight a social media star. More from our latest survey covered exclusively in Axios:

• As boxing purists feared, celebrity bouts are grabbing more attention than top-tier fights. Four in 10 (40%) heard about the Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul fight, while only (29%) heard about the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder rematch of their prior heavyweight title fights.
• Another (30%) were aware of the Jake Paul (Logan’s brother) fight against Ben Askren, but only (19%) heard about Josh Taylor boxing Jose Ramirez for the unified Junior Welterweight Title.
• In case you weren’t fully convinced that this is a celebrity circus, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson will make his boxing debut on the undercard.
• The rise of these sideshow bouts was driven by the social media age, but it’s also a result of “real boxing” failing to entertain. 
• But regardless of who is in the ring, there is more money in boxing than ever. Jake Paul knocked out former MMA fighter Ben Askren in an April exhibition that earned him a reported $10 million.

Takeaway: 2019 was a relatively quiet year for boxing, but then 2020 happened. Many people got lost in nostalgia during the doldrums of lockdown and eventually found alternative forms of entertainment.