Twenty-seven percent of Americans remain vaccine-hesitant, with variation across groups, up to 42 percent among Republicans
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Seventy-one percent of the U.S. public report that they would definitely or probably get a COVID-19 vaccine, marking an increase from 63 percent in September, according to the ongoing research project, the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor.
The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor used a combination of surveys and focus groups to track the U.S. public’s attitudes to vaccination.
According to the results of the survey, there has been an increase in the proportion of people who would definitely or probably get a COVID-19 vaccine if it was determined to be safe and available for free, reaching 71 percent, an increase from 63 percent in September. Overall, 27 percent of the public remain hesitant about the vaccine, with hesitancy highest among Republicans (42 percent), those aged 30 to 49 years (36 percent), rural residents (35 percent), and Black adults (35 percent). The main reasons for vaccine hesitancy include being worried about possible side effects, lack of trust in the government to ensure safety and effectiveness, concerns that the vaccine is too new, and concerns over the role of politics in the process of vaccine development (59, 55, 53, and 51 percent, respectively). Among Blacks, concerns include not trusting vaccines in general or being worried they may get COVID-19 from the vaccine (47 and 51 percent, respectively).
“Many who are hesitant are in wait-and-see mode, and their concerns include worries about side effects and whether the vaccine can cause COVID-19, which may dissipate as people get more information and see the vaccine introduced successfully among people they know,” Drew Altman, Ph.D., the president and chief executive officer of KFF, said in a statement.
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