Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Want COVID-19 Vaccination, Yet Gaps Visible by Race and Age
Survey respondents rank preferred locations to receive COVID-19 vaccines, as well as leading information sources that would influence their decision to get vaccinated
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly two-thirds of the public (63 percent) say they will "definitely" or "probably" get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to new survey data released today by the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project – a group of more than 100 leading organizations representing patients, caregivers and families, diverse communities, healthcare workers, older Americans, veterans, frontline workers, and scientists aimed at convening a dialogue around vaccine education.
The numbers of those indicating they would "definitely" or "probably" get vaccinated varied widely by race. While 67 percent of white respondents indicated they would get a vaccine, the numbers fell to 58 percent among Hispanic respondents and only 42 percent among Black respondents.
Commissioned by the Alliance for Aging Research – one of the three nonprofit organizations leading the project – the survey found the majority (51 percent) of respondents ranked their healthcare provider or pharmacist as one of the sources most likely to influence their decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents said they would prefer to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in their healthcare provider's office.
"While we're encouraged to see the majority of respondents planning to get vaccinated, we need to continue to educate about the safety of receiving COVID-19 vaccines from various healthcare professionals, including pharmacists in drug stores, supermarkets, and vaccine clinics," said Susan Peschin, President and CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research. "It is critical to our pursuit of health equity that all Americans have confidence in and access to COVID-19 vaccines."
Overall survey responses provided important information about the factors influencing the likelihood to get vaccinated and where respondents prefer to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Likelihood to be vaccinated
About a quarter (24 percent) of respondents said they would "probably not" or "definitely not" get a vaccine, with Black respondents more likely to say they would not receive the vaccine (25 percent), compared to Hispanic (15 percent) and white (13 percent) respondents. Respondents that said they will "probably not" get a vaccine also tend to be younger (13 percent ages 18-34, 14 percent ages 35-44).
Preferred location to be vaccinated
The survey asked respondents to select one or multiple locations where they would prefer to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The majority (64 percent) of respondents indicated they would prefer COVID-19 vaccination in their healthcare provider's office, while 29 percent prefer a pharmacy, 20 percent a drive-thru vaccine clinic, and only 13 percent would like to receive the vaccine at a grocery store pharmacy.
A generational split is visible among these options. When asked about their top two considerations, older respondents were much more likely (72 percent ages 65 and older) to cite preference for receiving COVID-19 vaccines in their healthcare provider's office, compared to over half (56 percent) of respondents ages 18-34. More than a third (36 percent) of those ages 18-34 prefer to be vaccinated at a pharmacy. In evaluating location preferences, nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of respondents said they would prefer to get vaccinated from a healthcare provider they know. This percentage was higher when looking at respondents over the age of 65 (74 percent).
Additional factors driving the location where respondents would like to receive the vaccine included the ability to get the vaccine quickly or not have to wait in line (45 percent) and a location close to home (41 percent).
Sources of information
After healthcare providers and pharmacists (51 percent), when asked to provide the top two additional sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines that would most influence their decision to get vaccinated, 32 percent of respondents cited nationally recognized health experts, and 30 percent named family and friends. Older respondents were increasingly more likely (75 percent ages 65 and older) to trust their healthcare provider or pharmacist, followed by 43 percent (ages 65 and older) trusting nationally recognized health experts.
For more resources on the impact of COVID-19 vaccination uptake in protecting individuals, families and communities, and for details on how organizations can partner with the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project, visit covidvaccineproject.org.
Survey Methodology
The CARAVAN survey was conducted live on December 18-20, 2020 by ENGINE INSIGHTS, among a sample of 1,002 adults over the age of 18 who had previously volunteered to participate in online surveys and polls. The data was weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the population. The online omnibus study is conducted three times a week among a demographically representative U.S. sample of 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older. Completed interviews are weighted by five variables: age, sex, geographic region, race and education to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population, 18 years of age and older. The raw data are weighted by a custom designed program which automatically develops a weighting factor for each respondent. Each respondent is assigned a single weight derived from the relationship between the actual proportion of the population based on U.S. Census data with its specific combination of age, sex, geographic characteristics, race and education and the proportion in the sample.
About the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project
As more than 100 leading organizations representing patients, caregivers and families, diverse communities, healthcare workers, older Americans, veterans, frontline workers and scientists, the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project launched in December 2020 to provide information about the clinical trials process, regulatory review, distribution of and access to COVID-19 vaccines in a way that promotes equity and trust. Initial support for the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project has been provided by Pfizer, Inc. Learn more at covidvaccineproject.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn at @COVIDVxProject.
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SOURCE COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project
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