Something profound is shifting in America’s relationship with institutional authority, and the COVID-era authoritarians are finally realizing their credibility is collapsing. For decades, Americans dutifully accepted government mandates as necessary public health measures, but that blind trust has evaporated.
What we’re witnessing isn’t just skepticism about vaccines; it’s a wholesale rejection of the “trust the experts” mentality that defined left-wing authoritarian governance for generations. The numbers tell a story that should terrify every bureaucrat who built their career on unquestioned compliance.
The change seemed to blindside even CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, who expressed genuine shock over recent polling showing growing skepticism about vaccination mandates, particularly for children. He described the trend as “one of the most interesting and, in my opinion, most troubling trend lines that we have seen.”
During the discussion, host John Berman asked Enten to break down public attitudes toward government vaccine mandates in the context of Florida’s ongoing efforts to eliminate such requirements in schools. “Another thing in the news has to do with Florida, where they’re trying to overturn all vaccine mandates, including vaccine mandates in school for children. What do the polls tell us about that?” Berman asked.
Enten responded with apparent surprise at the degree of public skepticism. He noted a dramatic decline over several decades in Americans who believe the government should require children to be vaccinated against infectious diseases. “You go back to 1991, it was 81%,” Enten said. “Then we go to 2019 at 62%. Look at where that number fell to by 2024. It was just 51%. That is a 30 point drop from 34 years ago. My goodness gracious.”
Enten relayed that the majority of Americans now only support encouraging, rather than requiring, vaccinations. “My point,” he said, “is that when it comes to requiring it, the American public has become increasingly skeptical of the idea that, in fact, the government should require kids to be vaccinated against infectious diseases.” Among Republicans, he noted, the trend is even more pronounced: the majority oppose government mandates altogether.
Related: What the Left Won't Tell You About Florida Nixing Vaccine Mandates
“This, to me, if you’re a public health official, this is perhaps the most worrying statistic that you should see,” Enten added. He pointed to polling on public attitudes regarding masks and vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that 55% of Americans now believe public health officials lied about the effectiveness of masks and vaccines. “In 2022, it was 45%. Look at where that number is now. Fifty-five percent of Americans believe that public health officials lied about Covid masks and vaccines and their effectiveness.”
Public support for school vaccine mandates has plummeted to 51%, down over 30 points
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) September 5, 2025
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Enten’s astonishment seems to overlook a key factor driving public skepticism. Since the pandemic, we’ve learned that health officials exaggerated the efficacy of face masks, and the medical establishment itself pushed COVID-19 vaccine mandates on children, even though evidence showed these mandates were not medically necessary and came with significant risks of serious side effects like myocarditis. While Enten frames the shift in public opinion as surprising, it is actually a predictable and, frankly, legitimate response to the overreach that happened during the pandemic.
The political battle over vaccine mandates is intensifying, particularly in states like Florida, where lawmakers are seeking to dismantle them. What people on the left, like Enten, fail to grasp is that ending mandates doesn’t ban vaccines; it returns the decision to parents, free from government coercion.
The overwhelming majority of mandate opponents aren’t anti-vax; they simply refuse to be forced into shots, particularly new vaccines built on untested technology. Parents can still follow their doctors, space out doses, or wait until their children are older. The real change is that families finally gain true informed consent, and those skeptical of Big Pharma aren’t punished for making their own choices.
That freedom terrifies the left. Once mandates disappear, the illusion of consensus crumbles. People start asking questions, weighing risks, and making decisions for themselves.
The tide is turning against vaccine mandates, and that’s a good thing. Enten's astonishment highlights the left's detachment from mainstream America. Across the country, parents and citizens are rejecting government coercion, insisting on the right to make their own medical decisions. After irresponsible COVID vaccine mandates and questionable policy decisions, skepticism was inevitable, and now it’s winning out. The era of top-down vaccine enforcement is ending, restoring choice and common sense to families who simply want to decide what’s best for themselves and their children.
