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Unvaccinated adults still widely believe the media have exaggerated the severity of the pandemic and are less likely than vaccinated adults to wear a mask in public, according to the ongoing Kaiser Family Foundation investigation.
The health-focused nonprofit group surveyed 1,500 American adults between July 15 and July 27 for this chapter of its survey, and found little change among those with the most hardened attitudes toward the vaccination. About 14% of those polled say they will “definitely not” be vaccinated – the same proportion as in December.
“Of those who say they ‘definitely’ won’t get a vaccine, 75% say the news is exaggerated. The vastly different perspectives of the vaccinated and the unvaccinated help explain the contentious nature of the ongoing political debates on vaccine mandates, “KFF said in its report.
Only 23% of adults who have not yet been vaccinated say they believe vaccines are very or extremely effective in preventing death, despite strong evidence that they are.
“A slim majority (53%) of unvaccinated adults believe the vaccine poses a greater risk to their health than COVID-19 itself,” Kaiser said. “In contrast, an overwhelming majority (88%) of vaccinated adults say that infection with COVID-19 is a greater risk to their health than the vaccine. “
“The increase in COVID-19 cases and news of the Delta variant spreading in the United States has led some people to say they are more likely to wear a mask in public or avoid large gatherings,” although this is mainly due to vaccinated adults, ”KFF said. .
“Watching their friends get sick and local hospitals fill up again with COVID patients can speed them up and swell their ranks,” KFF CEO Drew Altman said in a statement.
The survey found that 57% of unvaccinated people said the media had “generally exaggerated” the impact of the pandemic, while three-quarters of vaccinated adults said the media was “generally correct” (53% ) or even “underestimated” its seriousness (24%).
Among vaccinated adults, 53% report wearing masks in grocery stores and other indoor locations, compared to 44% of unvaccinated adults.
“These differences are in large measure due to unvaccinated Republicans. The majority of Republicans say they ‘never wear’ a mask outside in crowded outdoor locations, at work or in a grocery store,” KFF said. .
A quarter of unvaccinated people – 8% of all adults – say they are likely to be vaccinated by the end of the year.
But 10% of unvaccinated adults say they want to “wait and see” how the vaccine works for others before getting vaccinated. Another 3% say they will be immune “only if necessary”. But that’s down from 6% in June.
The survey found that people were divided over whether the federal government should recommend that employers require vaccines among their employees. Half said the federal government should recommend that employers require staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they have a medical exception.
Three-quarters of Democrats support a mandate for federal employees, while two-thirds of Republicans oppose it.
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