As Covid number rise, more Americans say they want to get vaccinated

Most Americans say they are likely to get vaccinated against Covid-19, though many are still concerned about the efficacy and safety of the vaccines.

Those were some of the key findings from a national opinion survey conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida’s School of Public Affairs and its Florida Center for Cybersecurity. The survey, which was released earlier this week, included responses from more than 1,000 voting-age Americans from across the country. 

According to the data gathered, 59 percent of respondents said that they will definitely or probably get vaccinated in the coming months, while roughly a quarter said they will probably not or definitely not get vaccinated. A significant majority of respondents said that they were at least somewhat concerned about the potential side effects of the vaccine.

Additionally, the survey showed that men were more likely than women to indicate they’ll get vaccinated and that white and Hispanic respondents were more receptive to the vaccine than African Americans. 

With Covid numbers spiking, about two-thirds of those surveyed said they’d somewhat or strongly support a nationwide mask mandate that would include penalties for noncompliance. Just over half said they’d support a national shutdown of non-essential businesses to limit the spread of the virus. The responses indicated a sharp contrast between Democrats and Republicans, with two thirds of Democrats voicing support for mask mandates and a majority of Republicans saying they would oppose a national shutdown of non-essential businesses. 

Other findings showed:

• People over the age of 65 are most likely to get vaccinated, along with the majority of the youngest respondents aged 18-24 also indicating that they will likely get vaccinated. Vaccination plans were lowest among middle-aged respondents, with just under half of those between 45 and 54 indicating that they are likely to get vaccinated.
• The most commonly cited sources of information that respondents have used to learn about the vaccine include television news, friends, family and coworkers and social media.
• More than three-quarters of respondents would either somewhat support or strongly support providing additional $2,000 stimulus payments to Americans, as well as extending federal unemployment benefits for out-of-work Americans.

A second round of results from this survey are set to be released within the next two weeks. These will examine social media usage and online behavior related to the pandemic.