Willingness of US adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Editor's Note

This study led by researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, finds that COVID-19 vaccine-related messaging should address concerns about the vaccine and its development and reinforce its benefits to increase the willingness of US adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine and to get the vaccine under an emergency use authorization.

In this survey of 788 US adults, significant predictors of willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine, include:

• education
• age, race, ethnicity
• having insurance
• positive attitude toward the vaccine
• high perceived susceptibility to COVID-19
• high perceived benefits of the vaccine.

Concerns about rushed vaccine development reduced the willingness to get the vaccine.

The researchers concluded that efforts may need to go beyond communication campaigns to correct misinformation about the vaccine to also focus on re-establishing public trust in government agencies.