HOUSTON – A new survey from the University of Houston found about one-third of the Texans who responded may refuse a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Twenty-two percent said they definitely would not get the vaccination, even if it was free and available today, and another 10% said they probably would not get it,” said Mark Jones, a research associate with the Hobby School of Public Affairs.
Jones served as one of the principal investigators of the study. He said understanding the reasons behind the results could help health officials boost vaccination rates.
“A big chunk of these individuals aren’t necessarily against the vaccine, they just think it’s too new and they really want to give it some time to see if there are any adverse effects,” Jones said.
Other concerns include a lack of trust in the government or big pharma to make sure the shot is safe.
Still, the survey found 38% would definitely get the vaccine if it was free and available to them today and 18% would probably get it; 3% already got it and 9% said they don’t know.
The Hobby School of Public Affairs conducted the survey online among Texans 18 and older from Jan. 12 to Jan. 20. A total of 1,329 people responded and the confidence interval is +/-2.7.
Another question asked whether getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is a personal choice or everyone’s responsibility to protect the health of others.
Among the results of people who chose a side, 51% said personal choice while 49% said everyone’s responsibility.
To read more of the UH survey questions, click here.