Pew Research Survey: Majority of Americans Plan on Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
From We are America the Beautiful blog on March 8, 2021
Image Copyright: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
A new Pew Research Survey conducted from February 16-21 among 10,121 American adults shows that the majority of Americans plan on getting the COVID-19 vaccine or already have. The survey revealed that Americans are more positive about trusting the vaccine than three months ago, and believe that getting vaccinated will improve the economy.
Most of the respondents have a positive view of President Biden's policies and (56%) believe that the vaccine will improve the country's response.
61% of Black Americans now plan on getting the vaccine compared with 42% in November
41% of older adults have already received at least one dose, 44% plan on getting vaccinated
Income disparities; the poll did not discuss if the gap was because of availability or lack of interest:
14% of lower-income people say they have received at least one dose
20% of middle-income people have received at least one dose
27% of upper-income people have received at least one dose
We see gender playing a role in the percentage of people deciding to receive the vaccine:
66% of women compared to 72% of men intend to get vaccinated; they are more likely to be concerned with how quickly the vaccines are being approved and lack of information about the efficacy
Partisan differences also show up in the survey:
83% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans plan to receive the vaccine or have already been vaccinated - that is a 27% percent gap between the two parties.
Why are 30% of people deciding against getting vaccinated?
72% are concerned about side effects
67% say the vaccines were developed and tested too quickly
61% want to know more about how the vaccines work
46% cite medical mistakes
42% don't believe that they need to be vaccinated
11% of the above group say they don't get vaccines generally
The majority of Americans (81%) view the coronavirus as a threat to the economy.
76% say the vaccine will help the economy a lot or a little if the majority of Americans get vaccinated.
12 months after the initial outbreak, Americans are divided on the severity of the coronavirus:
63% say the Coronavirus is a major threat to public health
34% see the Coronavirus as less serious
Those who believe that the coronavirus is a serious threat also believe that getting vaccinated is an important factor in curbing community spread.
Most view the roll-out of vaccine distribution as going well in their area.
Support for restrictions is declining:
41% say the current restrictions should stay in place.
31% say some of the restrictions should be lifted.
The majority of Americans know someone who has had the coronavirus:
25% of Americans say that they have had the coronavirus
66% of Americans say that they know someone who has been hospitalized or died of the disease.
Here is the link to the complete report: https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/03/05/growing-share-of-americans-say-they-plan-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine--or-already-have/