Nearly two-thirds of the public (63%) say they will “definitely” or “probably” get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to new survey data released earlier this week by the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project, a group of more than 100 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.
However, the numbers of those indicating they would “definitely” or “probably” get vaccinated varied widely by race, reflecting ongoing challenges for healthcare professionals to connect with some minority populations. While 67% of white respondents indicated they would get a vaccine, the numbers fell to 58% among Hispanic respondents and only 42% among Black respondents.
“These survey results reinforce the hard fact that the healthcare industry must do more to reach out to minority populations,” said Association of Clinical Research Professionals Executive Director Jim Kremidas. “We believe diversifying the clinical trial workforce will begin to help right this wrong,” he added.
Commissioned by the Alliance for Aging Research—one of the three nonprofit organizations leading the project—the survey found the majority (51%) 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%) of respondents said they would prefer to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in their healthcare provider’s office.
About a quarter (24%) 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%), compared to Hispanic (15%) and white (13%) respondents. Respondents who said they will “probably not” get a vaccine also tend to be younger (13% ages 18–34, 14% ages 35–44).
Edited by Michael Causey
