Poll: Nearly Half of Americans Want COVID Vaccine ASAP

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Nearly half of all Americans want to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they can, a new poll suggests.

That percentage is even higher among those who know someone who has already been vaccinated.

“Perhaps more important than any message is the impact of seeing a neighbor, friend or family member get their shots without any adverse effects,” said Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which conducted the poll. “It provides hope that vaccine confidence will build over time.”

People do find messages that promote the vaccine’s effectiveness and promise a return to normalcy convincing, but they are discouraged when they hear about allergic reactions and side effects, the pollsters said.

The desire to get vaccinated is increasing among all groups, but Republicans and rural residents remain the most reluctant.

The survey, conducted among more than 1,500 adults Jan. 11-18 and published Jan. 27 in the KFF publication COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, found that 47% of Americans want to get vaccinated as soon as they can or have already been vaccinated. That’s much higher than the 34% of the public who said they wanted to get the vaccine in December.

Another 31% say they want to “wait until it has been available for a while to see how it is working for others.”

But 20% are more reluctant to get vaccinated, including 7% who will only get vaccinated “if required to do so for work, school or other activities,” and 13% who say they will “definitely not” get the vaccine, the survey found.

Race, politics play role

Those who have been vaccinated or want to get vaccinated as soon as possible has increased among Black, Hispanic and white adults.

Among white respondents, 53% are more likely to want the vaccine than Black respondents (35%) and Hispanic respondents (42%).

More Black people (43%) and Hispanic people (37%) are likely to say they will “wait and see” to get vaccinated than white respondents (26%).

White people (51%) are more likely than Black adults (38%) or Hispanic adults (37%) to have been vaccinated or know someone who has, and those with incomes of at least $90,000 are nearly twice as likely as those with incomes under $40,000 to say so (65% versus 33%).