About 85% of people willing to get Covid-19 vaccine, survey finds

The number of people who say they will take a coronavirus vaccine has increased since the beginning of the year, according to an Ipsos MRBI survey.

Individuals who either would be prepared to get a vaccine, or who have already been vaccinated, now represent 85 per cent of the population, up from three in four people who expressed a willingness in January.

One in 10 respondents were unsure about getting a Covid-19 vaccine, a reduction from the 18 per cent of undecided respondents in January.

The youngest group of adults were the most indecisive, with one in five 18 to 24-year-olds still to make up their mind on the matter.

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Broken down, 73 per cent of nearly 1,000 survey respondents signalled this month that they would get a Covid-19 jab, while 12 per cent of the sample had already received a dose. Ipsos MRBI noted that the survey may underestimate the vaccinated cohort, as people in nursing homes, hospitals and other care settings were not interviewed.

Refuse to be inoculated

While those responding positively increased, there was also a marginal decline in the numbers who would refuse to be inoculated, as well as those who were unsure about participating in the rollout. Just 6 per cent of people said they will not take a vaccine for the virus, down from 7 per cent in January.

People aged between 25 and 34 were least willing to receive the vaccine, with 10 per cent in this cohort saying they would definitely not accept it.

The tracker survey was conducted on behalf of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), which represents the international research-based biopharmaceutical industry.

Ipsos MRBI conducted 983 telephone interviews with adults in the first two weeks of April. The sample was nationally representative for age, gender, geography and social class, the survey company said.

Bernard Mallee, a director at the IPHA, said the “encouraging” results should not give way to complacency.

“We must keep facts to the forefront and trust the science,” he said. “Our industry, working with so many others, is bringing forward safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines in record time . . . Safety and effectiveness are our watchwords.”