Nearly half, 48%, of Democratic voters think federal and state governments should be able to fine or imprison individuals who publicly question the efficacy of the existing COVID-19 vaccines on social media, television, radio, or in online or digital publications. Nearly a third of Democrats, 29%, would even support "temporarily removing parents' custody of their children if parents refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Majorities and pluralities of Democrats openly favor punishments and controls for their fellow Americans who decline to take COVID-19 vaccines far beyond current mandates, according to an alarming new survey by the Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports.

While the report, released January 13, shows that voters overall are evenly divided on the Biden administration's current vaccine mandates and the favorability of its top COVID czar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Democrats are naturally more approving of Democrat policies. However, the poll also found that the party's base would be willing to go drastically further than what the White House has proposed so far.