CHARLESTON — As the issue of whether Gov. Patrick Morrisey can use his executive order powers to graft on a religious exemption to West Virginia’s compulsory immunization law for school-age children winds its way through the courts, new polling data continues to show majority support for childhood immunization.

According to the latest release Tuesday from the annual WV MetroNews West Virginia Poll conducted by Research America, nearly three-fourths of the poll’s 400 respondents support West Virginia’s compulsory immunization law.

When asked “should states require children in grades K-12 to be vaccinated against highly contagious disease before entering school,” 71 percent of respondents said yes, 17 percent of respondents said no, and 12 percent said they were not sure.

When broken down by demographics, 74 percent of parents with school-age children support vaccinations, along with 75 percent of respondents older than 55, 65 percent of registered Republicans, 61 percent of conservatives, 86 percent of registered Democrats, 89 percent of liberals, and 63 percent of independents.

The WV Poll was conducted between Aug. 8 and Aug. 21, with respondents from all 55 counties, residents above the age of 18, registered voters, and balanced based on gender, Census regions, political party, and political ideology. WV Poll has a margin of error of 4.85 percent.

The poll results are similar to a poll conducted last year by the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. That poll, conducted in July 2024, had 600 respondents with a margin of error of 4 percent

When asked “Do you generally think that vaccines against childhood diseases, such as measles and mumps, are a good or bad idea,” 86.6 percent of respondents said it was a good idea, 5.5 percent said it was a bad idea, and 7.9 percent said they do not know. When self-described conservatives were asked, 81.6 percent said it was a good idea, 7.1 percent said it was a bad idea, and 11.3 percent did not know.

State Code 16-3-1 requires children attending school to show proof of immunization for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B unless proof of a medical exemption can be shown. But Morrisey signed a Jan. 14 executive order citing the 2023 Equal Protection for Religion Act to allow for religious and conscientious objections to the state’s school vaccination mandates.

An appeal is pending before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals filed by attorneys for the state Board of Education and Raleigh County Board of Education seeking a stay of a case in Raleigh County Circuit Court and an expedited hearing before the justices to determine whether EPRA allows Morrisey to use an executive order to allow for religious exemptions when the compulsory immunization law only allows for medical exemptions.

According to the state Department of Health which grants religious exemptions for parents and guardians, more than 500 religious exemptions have been granted for the current school year.

According to data compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention, the vaccination rate in West Virginia for kindergarteners during the 2023-24 school year for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) was the highest of surrounding states at 98.4 percent and higher than the national rate of 92.3 percent. West Virginia’s rate for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunizations was 98.3 percent, also higher than surrounding states and the national rate. West Virginia has similarly high rates for polio, hepatitis B, and varicella immunizations.