Killer Jab? 24% Say Someone They Know Died From COVID-19 Vaccine

Nearly a quarter of Americans believe someone they know died from COVID-19 vaccine side effects, and even more say they might be willing to become plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against vaccine makers.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 24% of American Adults say they know someone personally who died from side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. Sixty-nine percent (69%) don’t know anyone who died from being vaccinated against the virus. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Forty-two percent (42%) say that, if there was a major class-action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies for vaccine side effects, they would be likely to join the lawsuit, including 24% who say it’s Very Likely they’d join such a lawsuit. Forty-seven percent (47%) aren’t likely to join a class-action lawsuit against vaccine makers, including 25% who say it’s Not At All Likely. Another 11% are not sure.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,110 American Adults was conducted on October 26 and 29-30, 2023 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Nearly half (47%) say they know someone personally who died from the COVID-19 virus, while 49% don’t know anyone who died from the virus, which became a pandemic in the United States in 2020.

Among those who say someone they know died from the COVID-19 virus, 41% also say they know someone who died from side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. By contrast, among those who say they don’t know anyone who died from the virus, only nine percent (9%) say they know someone who died from COVID-19 vaccine side effects.

Among those who say someone they know personally died from side effects of the vaccine, 69% would be likely to join a major class-action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies, including 44% who say it’s Very Likely they’d join such a lawsuit against vaccine makers.

More men (51%) than women (44%) say someone they know personally died from side effects of the vaccine. 

Adults under 40 are less likely to say they know someone who died from the COVID-19 virus, but more likely to say they would join a major class-action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies for vaccine side effects. Men under 40 are particularly likely to say they’d join a class-action lawsuit.

Forty-three percent (43%) of whites, 52% of blacks and 57% of other minorities say someone they know personally died from the COVID-19 virus. Fewer whites (20%) than blacks (28%) or other minorities (32%) say they know someone personally who died from vaccine side effects. Blacks are more likely to be willing to join a class-action lawsuit for vaccine side effects.

There are almost no political differences on these questions. For example, 25% of Republicans say they know someone personally who died from side effects of COVID-19 vaccine, as do 24% of Democrats and those not affiliated with either major party.

Married adults are more likely than their unmarried peers to say they know someone who died either from the COVID-19 virus or from vaccine side effects, and are also more likely to say they’d join a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies.

Government employees (40%) are more than twice as likely as private sector workers (18%) to say someone they know personally died from side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Most working Americans say they’re now working extra hours in an effort to keep up with inflation. 

More Americans now think they’re rich, but most still identify as middle class. 

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as to Platinum Members.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.