Majority of Americans favor vaccine verification for travel purposes: survey

Seventy percent of Americans favor vaccine verification while traveling by plane or staying in a hotel, a new PwC survey found.

Over half of respondents to a survey released on Friday said they support policies that would prevent people who don’t show proof of vaccination from traveling. Only 14 percent said they would be upset if they were asked for proof of vaccination while traveling. 

PwC, a consulting firm, surveyed more than 1,300 U.S. consumers last month. It asked how respondents would feel about being asked for proof of a COVID-19 vaccination when traveling through an airport, boarding a plane, or checking into a hotel, and how they would feel if companies could prevent a customer from traveling with them without proof of being vaccinated.

The survey also found that 56 percent of people believe brand-name hotels are safer than short-term rentals and 36 percent of people would be willing to spend more to distance themselves from other travelers on an airplane. 

The survey coincides with Memorial Day weekend, when travelers are seeing soaring travel prices as places open up from coronavirus restrictions. The cost of airfare, car rentals and Airbnb bookings are all surging, as well as gas prices, which are at their highest levels since 2014. 

Hotel prices, however, are still below pre-pandemic levels. The average daily rate, while rising to $113.54 this month, is still down about 15 percent compared to 2019, according to data from the firm STR.