The number of Americans who say they would get vaccinated has increased to 60%, indicating the public is growing more confident that the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed will deliver a safe and effective vaccine for Covid-19, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Still, a majority of Americans say they would be uncomfortable being among the first to take a vaccine, and a sizable minority say they will pass on getting vaccinated. The findings come as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducts an emergency review of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine today. The Moderna vaccine and others are also on deck for emergency FDA authorization
“Public confidence has grown that the research and development process will yield a safe and effective vaccine for Covid-19,” Pew reported. “Seventy-five percent have at least a fair amount of confidence in the development process today, compared with 65% who said this in September.”
Overall, 60% of Americans say they would definitely or probably get a vaccine for the coronavirus if one were available today, up from 51% who said so in September. About four in 10 (39%) say they definitely or probably would not get a coronavirus vaccine, though about half of this group, or 18% of U.S. adults, indicate it’s possible they would decide to get vaccinated once people start getting a vaccine and more information becomes available.
Yet 21% of U.S. adults are hard negatives and reported they do not intend to get vaccinated and are “pretty certain” more information will not change their mind, according to the Pew survey.
These findings come on the heels of preliminary analysis from the two separate Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials, which have produced vaccines that are over 90% effective. The FDA is expected to issue its first emergency authorization this week.
While public intent to get a vaccine and confidence in the vaccine development process are up, people are showing wariness about being the first to get the vaccine: 62% of the public said they would be uncomfortable doing it. Just 37% would be comfortable.
The new national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted November 18 to 29 among 12,648 U.S. adults, found that amid a rising number of Covid-19 cases in the U.S., the public’s outlook for the country has darkened: 71% say they think the worst of the outbreak is still to come, up from 59% who said so in June.
A number of factors come into play when Americans consider getting the vaccine:
- One is their personal concern about getting a case of Covid-19 that would require hospitalization. Those most concerned about getting a serious case of the coronavirus indicate a higher likelihood of getting a vaccine. Those less concerned about getting it are closely divided over whether they would get vaccinated, Pew reported.
- Another factor is the trust the person has in the vaccine development process. Those with higher confidence that the research and development process will yield a safe and effective vaccine show higher levels of intent to get vaccinated.
- It also depends on whether the person also gets flu shots. Those who say they get annual flu shots are much more likely than those who rarely or never do to say they would get a vaccine for the coronavirus if one were available.
Partisanship also plays a role in Americans’ decision-making about vaccines, Pew found. Overall, there’s a 19% gap between Democrats and Republicans. Sixty-nine percent of Democrats or those who lean Democrat say they will get a vaccination, while only 50% of Republicans and Republican leaners report that they’ll get one.