According to a recent Monmouth poll, one-quarter of Americans say they will not get the COVID vaccine now or later if they can avoid it. If this holds it will be difficult for the country to reach herd immunity and stop the spread of the virus. (Poll conducted in Virginia below)
From Monmouth:
Half (50%) of the public plans to get the Covid vaccine as soon as they are allowed. Those willing to be at the front of the line represent a majority of American adults when combined with the 6% who report already receiving the vaccine. Another 19% say they would prefer to let other people get it first to see how it goes. However, 24% say it is likely they will never get the vaccine if they can avoid it.
Democrats are most eager to get the vaccine as soon as possible (72% when combined with those who already got the vaccine) – much more so than independents (51%) and Republicans (39%). More than 4 in 10 Republicans (42%) say they will avoid ever getting the vaccine if they can, which is significantly higher than the number of independents (25%) and Democrats (10%) who feel the same.
Demographically, Americans aged 65 and older are more likely to be first in line for the vaccine (67% want to get it as soon as they are allowed or have already received it) than younger adults (52%). Those under age 65 (27%) are somewhat more likely than seniors (16%) to say they will never get the vaccine. These differences shift dramatically, though, when filtered through the lens of partisanship.
The age-based gap in attitudes toward the vaccine is enormous among Republicans and independents who lean toward the GOP, but it virtually disappears among Democrats and Democratic leaners. Specifically, 63% of Republican identifiers aged 65 and older have received or want to be first in line for the vaccine while just 18% say they will avoid getting it. Among Republicans under 65 years old, only 33% are willing to line up for the vaccine right away, while nearly half (45%) never want to get it. Among those who identify as Democrats, there are no significant age-based differences for willingness to get the vaccine as soon as possible (71% age 65+ and 70% age 18-64) or to avoid it if they can (13% age 65+ and 9% age 18-64).
See all Monmouth poll results here.
Results of a COVID vaccine poll taken by the Christopher Newport Wason Center are here. Their results largely follow the results of the Monmouth poll with Democrats and whites more likely to get the vaccine while Republicans and people of color are less likely. More on the Virginia poll here. Results of Virginia poll by Christopher Newport Wason Center: