Global vaccine confidence grows, but France, Japan and other skeptics

LONDON (Reuters) – People’s willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is growing around the world and more than half of those polled said they would take the photo if offered next week, a survey released update on global vaccine confidence found Thursday.

But attitudes and confidence vary widely across the 15 countries covered by the survey, with France showing high levels of skepticism and some Asian countries showing declining confidence in vaccines, while some European countries seeing increasing confidence.

Overall, vaccine confidence is higher than in November, when the same survey – conducted in 15 countries and covering 13,500 people each time – found that only 40% would be ready to be vaccinated.

The survey, co-led by YouGov and the Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) at Imperial College London, found that Britons were the most willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, at 78%, followed by Denmark in 67%.

France had the highest proportion of respondents who said they did not get vaccinated, at 44%, but saw the proportion of those who strongly agreed to be vaccinated doubling, from 15% in November to 30% in January.

In Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, willingness to get vaccinated has declined since November, with Japan the least prepared, followed by Singapore.

“As vaccines will play a vital role in controlling the pandemic, leaders must act now to help more people understand the benefits of being vaccinated against COVID-19 and ensure that no one is left behind for account, ”said David Nabarro, co-director and a World Health Organization expert on COVID-19.

The survey is part of efforts by WHO and other organizations to monitor health-related behaviors and attitudes during the pandemic.

Since April 2020, researchers have surveyed more than 470,000 people around the world. This most recent survey took place from January 4 to 24.

It found that most people trust vaccines, with two-thirds expressing strong or moderate confidence and only 12% saying no confidence. He also found that two-thirds of people think getting the vaccine is important for their health.