Nearly two in three Americans believe the Biden administration is correct to support a waiver of intellectual property rights in order to widen access to Covid-19 vaccines to low and middle-income countries, according to a new survey from STAT and The Harris Poll.
The majority of those surveyed — 63% — think that such a move would help address the pandemic more quickly. However, the survey, which polled 2,062 people between May 7 and 9, found a notable divide along party lines, with a sizeable majority of Democrats supporting a waiver, compared to a far smaller share of Republicans who agreed.
The waiver became a hot topic last week when the Biden administration unexpectedly decided to back a controversial proposal before the World Trade Organization. The move came amid growing concern that low-income countries are unable to sufficiently access Covid-19 vaccines after wealthy nations reached deals with manufacturers.
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