America Speaks: Will Americans get vaccinated against the coronavirus?
Nearly half (45%) of YouGov Chat users say they will not get vaccinated when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available.
We asked our Chat users to go deeper and tell us why they would or would not get vaccinated against COVID-19. You can share your views on whether you plan to get vaccinated here.
“I don't trust how quickly this vaccine is being made.”
When we asked Chat users to tell us why they would not get a COVID-19 vaccine, many cited concerns over safety and the speed of vaccine development. “I feel the vaccine will be rushed because it’s an election year. The full side effects will not be known,” wrote one user. “I’m not sure that the vaccine is going to be safe. It appears that it is being rushed,” said another.
“I’ve never had any vaccines and am not going to start now.”
A portion of YouGov Chat users explained they do not generally receive vaccines, and do not plan on making an exception for the COVID-19 vaccine. “I don’t believe that vaccines are safe,” said one user. “I don’t get vaccines, not even a flu shot,” wrote another.
“My family have so far been spared. I’ve seen the long-term effects of the virus firsthand. If I can do something to prepare for exposure, I will gladly do that for myself and my family.”
For YouGov Chat users who say they would get the coronavirus vaccine, most cited the need to protect themselves and their family members – especially those with children. “I want to slow the spread of the virus, and I don’t want myself or family to be sick,” wrote one user. “I will have a newborn at the end of 2020 and want to protect him in any way that I can,” said another.
“The more people that get vaccinated, the more likely we can protect others who aren't able to get vaccinated.”
Other Chat users who would get vaccinated say it’s the best way to move on and beat the virus – some even say it’s a show of patriotism. “Because scientifically this is how we eradicate the pandemic. It's the intelligent and patriotic thing to do. Anyone who refuses except for specific medical contraindications is putting other people at risk and is irresponsible,” voiced one user. “When the science has developed to the point where there is a safe reliable vaccine, I think it is the social and patriotic duty of everyone who can take the vaccine to take the vaccine,” said another.
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Everyday, members of YouGov Chat are asked to share their opinion on a topic in the news. We allow anyone to take part in these chats, and do not display or weight results in real-time. Instead, to make the experience informative but still interactive, the Chat displays weighted data from YouGov Direct to show them how the rest of the country voted. This enables us to pose the question to all, while retaining data accuracy and validity when communicating results.
YouGov Chat seeks to add to the ‘what?’ (the quantitative poll result) by finding the ‘why?” (qualitative open ends) in a member’s own words. Learn more about YouGov Chat here.
Image: Getty