July 5th, 2022, Sonika Choubey
Vaccine hesitancy is higher in tier 2 and 3 cities of India as compared to tier 1 cities
Amid new emerging variants and the fear of a possible fourth wave of Covid-19, YouGov's latest survey reveals the sentiments of urban Indians towards the Covid-19 booster dose. Although 85% of urban Indians have taken both doses, 11% are still waiting for their second dose, and 5% haven't taken the Covid-19 vaccine and are not willing to do so in future.
Among those who have taken both the doses of the vaccine, a higher proportion (74%) show willingness to take the booster dose without hesitation. Close to one in five (18%) are reluctant to take an additional shot while one in ten remain unsure of their decision (9%). Vaccine hesitancy appears to be higher in tier 2 and 3 cities as compared to tier 1 cities. Perhaps the growing number of cases in big cities and towns could be leading people to secure themselves with an additional dose of the vaccine in tier 1 cities.
Many people who have had both doses of the vaccine are inclined to take the booster dose, but when considering those who do not wish to do so, a majority (64% of respondents) tells us that their confidence in the two doses of the vaccine is the most important factor for not wanting a precautionary dose. Close to one in five (19%) stated that they are scared of the short-term side-effects like fever, etc. while 17% are worried about the alleged long-term side effects of the vaccines (like heart attacks, medical complications, etc). Some doubt the effectiveness of the booster dose (15%) while others (13%) said they took the first dose of out compulsion (for travel, etc.) but will now resist taking a booster dose for Covid.
The government of India has already administered more than 1.95 billion shots against COVID-19 and has been constantly pushing to increase vaccination coverage among the elderly through the Har Ghar Dastak 2.0 campaign that began earlier last month. However, there are many who still have taken a booster dose or are yet to take the second dose of the vaccine. When asked whether booster doses should be made compulsory by the government due to the increasing number of cases, 76% affirmed they would like it to be mandated. Those who indicated they would take the booster dose without hesitation showed higher support (90%).
Data was collected online among 1013 urban respondents in India by YouGov’s Omnibus between June 14th and 17th, 2022 using YouGov’s panel of over 20 million people worldwide