WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – According to a newly-released national poll by Monmouth University in New Jersey, a quarter of Americans said they would “never” accept a COVID-19 vaccine inoculation.
Individuals who participated in the poll were asked if they planned to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, let others take it first and see how it goes, or not take it at all if possible. And while half of those who responded said they would indeed take the vaccine if it was made available to them the results nonetheless revealed a country deeply divided on the issue.
“A bare majority of the public is ready to get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as it is available to them,” the poll said, “while others take a wait-and-see attitude and a sizable 1 in 4 say they will avoid getting the vaccine at all if they can help it.”
6 percent of those polled said they had already received a vaccination shot; 19 percent said they’re taking the “wait and see” approach; and 24 percent said they would avoid taking the vaccine altogether.
The poll noted that despite the fact that “more Americans express concern about the impact of COVID-19 now than at any time during the pandemic,” Republicans were the most resistant to the idea of getting a vaccine shot, with 42 percent of those polled insisting that they would “never get” one.
72 percent of Democrats polled, in contrast, said they would take the vaccine as soon as possible.
For the purposes of the poll, black, Hispanic and Asian Americans were included in one category; overall, they were less likely (52 percent) to get inoculated against COVID-19 than white Americans (58 percent).
Patrick Murray, Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in the poll results that reluctance to get the vaccine is driven more by partisanship than any single demographic factor.
“It says a lot about the depth of our partisan divide that it could impact public health like this,” he said.
Scientists note that the more people who receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the closer the country moves towards the concept of “herd immunity” to the disease, bringing the pandemic to an end; in order for that to occur, between 70 to 85 percent of all citizens would need to be inoculated.
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