Seven out of 10 Americans say they will “definitely or probably” get a COVID-19 vaccine, a new study finds.
The new statistic – 71 percent – is a significant jump from September, when 63 percent said they would get the shot, according to a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation on Tuesday.
The nonprofit health research organization polled 1,676 adults for fear of experts that not enough Americans trust the coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, has said that approximately 75 to 80 percent of the population must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed recently said they “definitely or probably” would not be vaccinated.
“This group is disproportionately made up of Republicans and those with no more than a high school education,” Kaiser said in a statement.
Black Americans, rural people, and Republicans were among the most reluctant to get the picture – but their reasons varied, according to the report.
“Some black adults are hesitant for reasons that could change with more information,” the report said.
About 71 percent of those who say they won’t get the vaccine said they are concerned about possible side effects, while about 50 percent of the group fear they could get the virus.
Of Republicans, 57 percent of those surveyed cited “the risks of COVID-19 being exaggerated” as a major reason why they would definitely or probably not receive a vaccine.
“Many Americans who hesitate just reserve judgment before they are ready to be vaccinated. However, nearly one in four Republicans don’t want to be vaccinated because they don’t believe COVID is a serious threat, ”said Mollyann Brodie, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, according to CNN.
Liz Hamil, director of Kaiser’s public opinion research program, said messages are critical to building confidence in the vaccine.
“Based on our data, what happens during this initial rollout will be critical, both for how smoothly it rolls out, but also for how those reports are filtered to the media, and what people’s different media sources tell them about first rollout is underway, ”Hamil told CNN.