As manufacturers produce and distribute COVID-19 vaccines over the next several months, Americans have a big choice: Will they take the vaccine when offered?

Fifty-three percent of respondents to the survey say they would take a free COVID-19 vaccine when offered. However, 20% don’t know if they would and 27% say they definitely wouldn’t.

It is essential to understand why some people are saying they won’t or may not take a vaccine. If too few people get vaccinated, COVID-19 will continue spreading, straining the healthcare system and necessitating regional lockdowns and their economic fallout.

The survey sample highlighted three types of respondents based on their answer to whether or not they’d get an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine if it were freely available:Acceptors: Those whowouldagreeto be vaccinated.Rejectors: Those whowould not agreeto take a vaccine.Undecideds: Those whodon’t knowif they would take a vaccine.

The survey sample highlighted three types of respondents based on their answer to whether or not they’d get an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine if it were freely available:

Verywell will survey people every two weeks to understand how these feelings change over time as vaccines become more prevalent. In the coming weeks, we’ll watch how these themes and trends progress, and we’ll walk you through them. At this point in time, the most popular reason to get a COVID-19 vaccine is a return to normalcy, and the most common reasonnotto get a vaccine involves a fear of side effects.

Side Effects Are the Top Concern—And Social Media Isn’t Helping

Regardless of whether or not they currently plan to get a vaccine, survey respondents—63% of them—are at least somewhat concerned about side effects. More women (53%) are concerned than men (34%).

Side effect concerns are most prevalent among those who aren’t sure if they’ll even take the vaccine (86%), with people flat-out opposed to the vaccine not far behind (78%).

While the currently-available vaccines were developed and distributed at a record-setting pace,reportafterreportemphasizes safety wasn’t sacrificed along the way. In addition to ongoing clinical trials, each vaccine was also subject to a review from a panel of scientists who are independent of their manufacturers. As a result, so far, mostside effects are mild, including pain and redness at the injection site, headache, and body aches.

Experts Address 3 Major COVID-19 Vaccine Concerns Among Americans

Those narratives may be striking a chord with some of our survey participants. Social media is the biggest driver of COVID-19 vaccine information among respondents who said they will not get a shot. In fact, 63% say they learn about COVID-19 from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, compared to only 43% of those who will actually get the vaccine.

30% of those surveyed get at least some of their COVID-19 news from friends and family.

Friends and Family Can Change People’s Minds

At this time, respondents fall in line with what they expect their loved ones are thinking and doing. But some of their other survey responses suggest more open-mindedness in the future. For example, a third of those who are undecided about the vaccine say they’d feel optimistic if their loved ones chose to get vaccinated. And while 33% of those who reject the vaccine say they’d feel scared if loved ones got the shot, another 22% report they’d feel curious about it themselves.

It’s likely people will become more accepting of the COVID-19 vaccine as more people they know receive it. Hearing about the experiences of others should help eliminate much of the fear of the unknown, especially if serious side effect rates remain low. Pfizer has reported just21 incidents of anaphylaxis reactionsout of 2 million vaccines administered, and each person recovered.

COVID-19 Vaccines:Stay up to date on which vaccines are available, who can get them, and how safe they are.

The Biggest Difference Between Undecideds and Rejectors

At this stage of the vaccine rollout, those opposed and those on the fence are fairly aligned on their reasons for not wanting to get vaccinated. But what really separates those who won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine from those who aren’t sure is a lack of confidence in vaccines in general. Twenty-three percent of those who don’t plan to get vaccinated cited a mistrust of all vaccines, compared to 7% of those who are uncertain about getting vaccinated.

Just like Verywell’s results, a Harvard analysis of two national surveys published in the fall of 2020 shows a quarter of respondents would refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, and a mistrust of science was a driving factor for 22% of that group.These numbers, according to the analysis, are dangerously large enough to disrupt the path toherd immunity—the amount of the population that needs to be vaccinated to contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect the most vulnerable groups.

There will always be a portion of the population who can’t take a vaccine (for instance, those allergic to the components) and whose health will rely on herd immunity from people who are vaccinated. Ensuring as many people take the vaccine as possible helps protect everyone.

Socioeconomic Factors Deepen the Divide

While the majority of respondents (70%) say their day-to-day life is at least somewhat different now compared to before the pandemic, only 35% of those who don’t plan to get the vaccine feel this way. They’re more likely than the undecided respondents to say that they don’t know anyone who’s tested positive for COVID-19, and only 34% say they are worried about COVID-19—much less than other groups.

But this group may have more immediate things to worry about. Thirty-five percent say they’re concerned about putting food on the table, compared to 15% of those who plan to get the vaccine. Over half of those who don’t plan to vaccinate (60%) and those who are undecided (57%) have a household income of under $50,000 a year; only 45% of people who plan to vaccinate fall into that income bracket.

Those who won’t get the vaccine are three times as likely to be uninsured as those who do plan to get it.

Though the COVID-19 vaccine will be provided at no cost, it’s possible that other costs—be it time cost to get the vaccine, especially in rural areas, or loss of job productivity from side effects—could be driving the hesitancy or rejection of vaccination, especially for those who don’t think COVID-19 is a big deal.

A Word From Verywell

The general U.S. population’s feelings about COVID-19 vaccines are varied and wide-ranging. The goal of this survey is to monitor how these trends develop over the next several weeks and months, as the vaccines roll out and the pandemic progresses, and to get a greater understanding of what’s fueling these vaccine-related decisions.

COVID-19 has stressed and strained most of us to some extent. Understanding each other a little better, being a bit more empathetic to our neighbors’ thoughts and feelings, and working together will help us all get through the next several months.

MethodologyVerywell conducted the above research as an online survey, fielded to 1,000 adults living in the U.S. from December 16 to December 20, 2020. Demographics were as follows:Gender:48% Male, 51% Female, 0% Nonbinary or an identity not listedAge:10% Gen Z, 31% Millennials, 18% Gen X, 31% Boomers, 11% SilentRegion:24% West, 38% South, 17% Northeast, 21% MidwestLocation:34% Urban, 46% Suburban, 20% RuralRace/Ethnicity: 65% White, 15% Black or African American, 19% Hispanic/Latino or Latinx, 6% Asian, 1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1% Another background not mentionedPolitics:40% Democrat, 28% Republican, 25% Independent, 7% Other/Prefer not to say

Methodology

Verywell conducted the above research as an online survey, fielded to 1,000 adults living in the U.S. from December 16 to December 20, 2020. Demographics were as follows:Gender:48% Male, 51% Female, 0% Nonbinary or an identity not listedAge:10% Gen Z, 31% Millennials, 18% Gen X, 31% Boomers, 11% SilentRegion:24% West, 38% South, 17% Northeast, 21% MidwestLocation:34% Urban, 46% Suburban, 20% RuralRace/Ethnicity: 65% White, 15% Black or African American, 19% Hispanic/Latino or Latinx, 6% Asian, 1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1% Another background not mentionedPolitics:40% Democrat, 28% Republican, 25% Independent, 7% Other/Prefer not to say

Verywell conducted the above research as an online survey, fielded to 1,000 adults living in the U.S. from December 16 to December 20, 2020. Demographics were as follows:

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johnson NF, Velásque N, Restrepo NJ, et al.The online competition between pro- and anti-vaccination views.Nature.582, 230–233 (2020). doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2281-1Dubé E, Laberge C, Guay M, Bramadat P, Roy R, Bettinger JA.Vaccine hesitancy: an overview.Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2013;9(8):1763-1773. doi:10.4161/hv.24657Newhagen JE, Bucy EP.Overcoming resistance to COVID-19 vaccine adoption: How affective dispositions shape views of science and medicine.Bertoncello C, Ferro A, Fonzo M, et al.Socioeconomic determinants in vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal in Italy.Vaccines (Basel). 2020;8(2):276. Published 2020 Jun 5. doi:10.3390/vaccines8020276

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johnson NF, Velásque N, Restrepo NJ, et al.The online competition between pro- and anti-vaccination views.Nature.582, 230–233 (2020). doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2281-1Dubé E, Laberge C, Guay M, Bramadat P, Roy R, Bettinger JA.Vaccine hesitancy: an overview.Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2013;9(8):1763-1773. doi:10.4161/hv.24657Newhagen JE, Bucy EP.Overcoming resistance to COVID-19 vaccine adoption: How affective dispositions shape views of science and medicine.Bertoncello C, Ferro A, Fonzo M, et al.Socioeconomic determinants in vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal in Italy.Vaccines (Basel). 2020;8(2):276. Published 2020 Jun 5. doi:10.3390/vaccines8020276

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Johnson NF, Velásque N, Restrepo NJ, et al.The online competition between pro- and anti-vaccination views.Nature.582, 230–233 (2020). doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2281-1Dubé E, Laberge C, Guay M, Bramadat P, Roy R, Bettinger JA.Vaccine hesitancy: an overview.Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2013;9(8):1763-1773. doi:10.4161/hv.24657Newhagen JE, Bucy EP.Overcoming resistance to COVID-19 vaccine adoption: How affective dispositions shape views of science and medicine.Bertoncello C, Ferro A, Fonzo M, et al.Socioeconomic determinants in vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal in Italy.Vaccines (Basel). 2020;8(2):276. Published 2020 Jun 5. doi:10.3390/vaccines8020276

Johnson NF, Velásque N, Restrepo NJ, et al.The online competition between pro- and anti-vaccination views.Nature.582, 230–233 (2020). doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2281-1

Dubé E, Laberge C, Guay M, Bramadat P, Roy R, Bettinger JA.Vaccine hesitancy: an overview.Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. 2013;9(8):1763-1773. doi:10.4161/hv.24657

Newhagen JE, Bucy EP.Overcoming resistance to COVID-19 vaccine adoption: How affective dispositions shape views of science and medicine.

Bertoncello C, Ferro A, Fonzo M, et al.Socioeconomic determinants in vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal in Italy.Vaccines (Basel). 2020;8(2):276. Published 2020 Jun 5. doi:10.3390/vaccines8020276

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