The hardcore resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine might be softening, as only 14 percent of Americans say they are not at all likely to get a vaccination in an Axios-Ipsos poll released this week. And only 20 percent say they are not likely to get a vaccine, the lowest number since polling began in early April.
The Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, concern about the Delta variant’s high transmissibility and employer mandates could have played a role in the shift. Still, 34 percent of Americans are showing some reluctance to getting vaccinated.
“Individuals who are still on the fence to get a vaccine hopefully can get a fresh or better reassurance about the vaccine as we go forward,” says Dr. Ajay Kumar, Hartford HealthCare’s Chief Clinical Officer. “The Pfizer vaccine right now is a good place for use to be to convince people who may not be quite ready for the vaccination.”
Here are other findings from the poll:
- 68 percent of parents say their children already have been vaccinated or will get a shot when eligible.
- 31 percent of parents are opposed to vaccinating their children.
- 60 percent believe returning to their pre-COVID life now would be a large or moderate risk, the highest since March.
- 78 percent are at least somewhat concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak.
- 56 percent say they’ve gone out to eat or visited friends or relatives, unchanged from the previous week.
- 50 percent say they are staying home and avoiding other people as much as possible.
- 69 percent say they use a mask some or all of the time.
- 70 percent support mask use in schools.
- 66 percent support mask use in public places.
- 19 percent say their employers require vaccinations.
- 54 percent say their employers require masks in the workplace.
- 64 percent support state and local government mask requirements, but few say mandates have been needed lately.