A Texas A&M-led survey found that more than 31% of 5,009 Americans queried between May 28 and June 8 of last year did not intend to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
A new survey indicates that over 31% of individuals queried had no intention of getting vaccinated against infection with SARS-CoV-2.
According to the same source, the groups most likely to reject a Covid-19 vaccine are Black people, women, and those with conservative political leanings.
The researchers who led the survey emphasize that policymakers must find better ways of communicating with and reassuring the public about the effectiveness and safety of Covid-19 vaccines.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told The New York Times in late December of last year that he believes close to 90% of the population should acquire Covid-19 immunity to end the pandemic.
For the survey, the respondents answered a series of questions, including queries about their behaviors and attitudes related to the virus and their experiences with Covid-19.
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The research, which appears in the journal Social Science & Medicine, found that Black people, women, and those with conservative leanings were most likely to refuse vaccination.
Black respondents were 41% less likely to pursue vaccination. That is significant since numerous studies have found that people who are Black, Asian, or from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to acquire Covid-19 and experience worse clinical outcomes.
This is often due to social, economic, and healthcare inequities experienced by these demographics in the United States and elsewhere.
The study’s authors take care to note that the Children’s Health Defense — a group known for anti-vaccine activism — have published an article that reminds Black Americans of medical abuses against them.
One example is the Tuskegee syphilis study of 1932, where Black men with syphilis were denied informed consent and treatment so doctors could research the long-term effects of the disease.
The researchers suggest that Black Americans may be swayed against receiving the vaccine due to anxieties around historical abuses in the context of medical research.
