Nearly two-thirds of business leaders support President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine-or-test mandate for private companies, according to a survey from the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) released Tuesday.
The business-backed nonprofit polled more than 100 CEOs and board directors, most of whom work for companies with more than $1 billion in revenue. Forty-two percent of those surveyed said they “strongly agree” with Biden’s mandate, while 24 percent “strongly disagree.”
The Biden administration will require employers with more than 100 workers to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or frequent testing. While GOP lawmakers have vowed to fight the measure, corporate America is largely supportive of Biden’s effort to boost vaccinations, though business groups have expressed concern about how companies will enforce the mandate.
The CED survey found that about 56 percent of business leaders will find it difficult to implement the vaccine-or-test requirement. Roughly 30 percent of respondents said that the rule would negatively affect firm culture, while just 12 percent said it would boost morale.
“While our survey results reveal that the President has significant backing from the business community, the administration should proceed with caution given the intensity of the opposition felt by a quarter of the business leaders and the expected difficulties in implementation felt much more broadly,” Lori Esposito Murray, president of CED, said in a statement.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to unveil the specifics of the vaccine requirement in the coming weeks. Business groups have expressed frustration with the agency’s decision to move forward with the rule without seeking input from companies that have already enacted vaccine requirements for their own employees.
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