Census Bureau research shows that 1 out of 5 Utahns will not get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Census Bureau research shows that 1 out of 5 Utahns will not get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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About 1 in 5 Utahns who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine say they may not receive it.

(Rick Egan | Tribune archive photo) Kenley Hansen receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Kirsten Weber while Utah County residents lined up for vaccination at an old Shopko store in Spanish Fork on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 .

| January 29, 2021, 18:40

| Updated: 19h36

Despite Herculean efforts to obtain more COVID-19 vaccines and distribute them as quickly as possible, one in five Utahns who have not yet been vaccinated says they will definitely or probably not get an injection.

The reasons range from not trusting the government to not believing that vaccines are effective, worrying about side effects and wanting to wait and see if it is safe. Some altruistic people say they believe that others need vaccines more than they do.

This is according to a survey conducted by the US Census Bureau from January 6 to 18. It is part of ongoing research conducted in all states to measure the health, economic and other effects of the pandemic.
The discoveries were made at a time when authorities asked the Utahns to be vaccinated when possible. They say that the faster people are inoculated, the faster the state can achieve collective immunity and return to normal. They also said that vaccines are relatively safe and are worth any small risk they pose to avoid COVID-19.

In Utah, the survey found that 52.3% of residents who have not yet been vaccinated said they “definitely” plan to receive the vaccine. Utah ranked 22nd among states in this category, and slightly above the national average of 50.9%. Another 26% said they “probably” will have a chance.

However, 8% said they “definitely” will not. Another 13% said they “probably” won’t. Therefore, in general, 21% of Utahns who have not yet been vaccinated say that they will probably or definitely skip vaccines.

The researchers estimate that about 75% of the population needs to acquire immunity to the virus – either through vaccines or surviving the disease – in order to stop transmission and obtain collective immunity. Therefore, Utah would be above that level if these results are confirmed.

Some groups reported in the survey that they are more likely than others to avoid the vaccine.

The older the respondents, the more likely they are to want the vaccine. For example, about 73% of Utahns aged 65 and over say they definitely plan a chance. But only 40% of people aged 18 to 24 do so.

The more education a respondent reported, the more likely they were to want an injection.

The survey showed that 63% of utahns who have at least a bachelor’s degree definitely plan to receive it, while only 31% of those with less than high school education do so.

Different breeds reported different levels of interest in receiving the vaccine. Asians in Utah had the highest percentage of people saying they definitely plan on getting the vaccine, 68%. That number was 55% for Hispanics, 54% for whites and only 19% for blacks.

The research allowed people to list one or more reasons why they did not plan to get the vaccine. Some of the main reasons are:

• 49% said they were concerned about possible side effects.

• 48% said they plan to wait and see if it is safe.

• 35% said other people need it more now.

• 19% said they did not trust COVID-19 vaccines.

• 19% said they did not know if a vaccine would work.

• 17% said they did not trust the government.

• 17% said they did not believe they needed a vaccine.

• 9% said they did not like vaccines.

The survey interviewed 2,085 Utah residents. The Census Bureau said the results for the general group are considered to be accurate with a margin of error of 3 percentage points, more or less. Subgroups, such as age, race and education, have greater margins of error and vary.

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