Americans Question Safety, Fairness of Anti-COVID-19 Vaccine

Americans are cautious about the new anti-coronavirus vaccine and slightly more reluctant to get one. Most also aren’t convinced that the vaccine will be administered fairly.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that just 49% of American Adults believe the new anti-COVID-19 vaccine will be safe and effective. Twenty-one percent (21%) do not, while 30% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Similarly, only 46% think the new vaccine will be available in a way that is fair to everyone. Twenty-four percent (24%) disagree, and 30% are undecided.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Americans say they are likely to get the vaccine when it becomes available, but that includes only 39% who are Very Likely to do so. That compares to 65% and 42% respectively a month ago and 70% and 53% in late April when Rasmussen Reports first asked this question.

Among those who think the vaccine will be safe and effective, however, 69% say they are Very Likely to get one.

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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted December 17 and 20, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Concern about the coronavirus remains high among Americans, and most suspect that we will be wearing masks and living in lockdown for at least the next six months.

Seniors are the age group most at risk from the coronavirus and remain far more likely than younger adults to say they are Very Likely to get the vaccine.

Men are more confident than women in the safety of the vaccine and the fairness of its delivery. Men are also a lot more likely to get one.

Blacks are the most distrustful of the new vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. Just 26% of blacks say they are Very Likely to get the vaccine compared to 43% of whites and 36% of other minority Americans.

Married adults and those with children in the home are more likely to opt for the vaccine than those who are not married and don’t have kids living with them.

The coronavirus is far and away the top action item on new President Biden’s list as far as voters are concerned.

Sixty percent (60%) of voters, a new high, think China should pay at least some of the global financial costs that have originated from the virus that originated in a Chinese city.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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