Introduction
Methods
Results
Conclusions
INTRODUCTION
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Appendix. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
REFERENCES
Introduction
Vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed in unprecedented time. However, the effectiveness of any vaccine is dictated by the proportion of the population willing to be vaccinated. This observational population-based study examines intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 throughout the pandemic.
Methods
In November 2020, longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 7,547 U.S. adults enrolled in the Understanding America Study were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Participants reported being willing, undecided, and unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19 across 13 assessments conducted from April to October 2020. Public attitudes to vaccination against COVID-19 were also assessed on a 4-point Likert-type scale.
Results
Willingness to vaccinate declined from 71% in April to 53.6% in October. This was explained by an increase in the percentage of participants undecided about vaccinating (from 10.5% to 14.4%) and the proportion of the sample unwilling to vaccinate (from 18.5% to 32%). The population subgroups most likely to be undecided/unwilling to vaccinate were those without a degree (undecided: RR=2.47, 95% CI=2.04, 3.00; unwilling: RR=1.92, 95% CI=1.67, 2.20), Black participants (undecided: RR=2.18, 95% CI=1.73, 2.74; unwilling: RR=1.98, 95% CI=1.63, 2.42), and female participants (undecided: RR=1.41, 95% CI=1.20, 1.65; unwilling: RR=1.29, 95% CI=1.14, 1.46). Participants who were older or were on higher incomes were least likely to be undecided or unwilling to vaccinate. Concerns about potential side effects of a vaccine were common.
Conclusions
Intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 have declined rapidly during the pandemic, and close to half of Americans are undecided or unwilling to be vaccinated.
INTRODUCTION
As of the middle of February 2021, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been responsible for >2.3 million deaths worldwide.1 Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been developed in an unprecedented time, and there are now multiple vaccines that have been shown to be effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections.2 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued emergency use authorization for the mass roll out of the Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines,3 and other candidates may be approved for distribution in the near future. However, the overall effectiveness of any vaccine is dictated, at least in part, by the proportion of the population willing to be vaccinated. Simulation studies suggest that at least three quarters of the population may need to be vaccinated to extinguish the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.4,5
During the early stages of the pandemic (March–June), studies of small samples of European and Australian adults suggested that the majority of surveyed people reported that they would be vaccinated when a widely available vaccine was available.6,7 Similarly, a nationally representative study of adults in China conducted in March found that 9 in 10 persons would accept a vaccine when available.8 U.S. studies conducted early in the pandemic found that between 58% and 86% of adults reported that they were likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19.6,9, 10, 11