While most people believe COVID-19 vaccines are safe and their side effects are now clear, a new HarrisX poll conducted for the Deseret News finds a big partisan difference in how people view COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness.

That finding is part of a larger tale about the divides that marked much of the public reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it posed, particularly in the early days when many people were dying, schools and businesses were closing, jobs were vanishing and public health officials sometimes contradicted not just each other, but even themselves.

While overall 59% of those polled are confident the vaccines are safe and their side effects now known, only 44% of Republicans agree, compared to 78% of Democrats and 53% of independents. The other 56% of Republicans and 22% of Democrats say COVID-19 vaccines are not safe and they may have side effects that haven’t been revealed.

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