Nearly a third of adults undecided on Covid-19 vaccine, analysis finds

Regarding the Covid-19 vaccine, around 31% of adults say they plan to “wait and see” how it works for other people before deciding to get the vaccine themselves, report shows published by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Friday.

Because they are still undecided, KFF says this group is a smart target for immunization education. To do this, the foundation notes that it is important to understand that the group is not a monolith and that concerns about vaccination vary.

About half of the members of the “wait and see” group are white, 16% are black, and 19% are Hispanic. A majority say they fear that they or a member of their family will fall ill with the coronavirus.

More than half of “waiting groups” see getting vaccinated as a personal choice and just 40% see vaccination as a responsibility to protect others.

The “wait and see” group is also politically diverse; 42% identify as Democrats or Democrats and 36% as Republicans or Republicans.

About 67% of “wait-and-see” Republicans view the decision to get vaccinated as a personal choice, compared to 43% of Democrats. 52% of “wait-and-see” Democrats believe that everyone has a responsibility to protect the health of others, while only 29% of “wait-and-see” Republicans believe the same.

About half of Republicans who want to ‘want and see’ believe the severity of the pandemic has been exaggerated

Black and Hispanic adults who plan to “wait and see” are very concerned about the prospect of personally falling ill or seeing a family member fall ill with the coronavirus. However, many are skeptical about the vaccine and the health system in general.

About 61% of Hispanic adults and 59% of black adults in the “wait and see” group said they feared catching coronavirus from the vaccine. About 57% of black “wait-and-see” adults expressed distrust of the health care system, and KFF noted that lower confidence levels are associated with lower vaccine use.

Many of those who say they intend to “wait and see” said that a close friend or family member getting the vaccine would be most likely to influence their decision.