LONDON (Reuters) – People’s willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is increasing worldwide and more than half of respondents said they would get the vaccine if it was offered next week, an updated survey of global confidence in vaccine found on Thursday.
But attitudes and confidence vary widely across the 15 countries included in the survey, with France showing high levels of skepticism and some Asian countries showing declines in confidence in vaccines, while some European countries see an increase in confidence.
Overall, confidence in the vaccine is higher than in November, when the same survey – conducted in 15 countries and covering 13,500 people at a time – found that only 40% would be willing to be vaccinated.
The survey, co-led by YouGov and the Imperial College London Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI), found that people in Britain were more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, at 78%, followed by Denmark with 67%.
France had the highest proportion of respondents who said they would not get the vaccine, 44%, but saw a doubling in the proportion that they strongly agreed that they would get the vaccine, from 15% in November to 30% in January.
In Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, the willingness to get the vaccine has dropped since November, with Japan showing the least preparation, followed by Singapore.
“As vaccines will play a vital role in controlling the pandemic, leaders must act now to help more people understand the benefits of being vaccinated against COVID-19 and ensure that no one is left behind,” said David Nabarro, co-director and World Health Organization specialist in COVID-19.
The research is part of efforts by WHO and other agencies to monitor health-related behavior and attitudes during the pandemic.
Since April 2020, researchers have interviewed an additional 470,000 people worldwide. This most recent survey was conducted from January 4th to 24th.
He found that most people trust vaccines, with two-thirds expressing strong or moderate confidence and only 12% reporting no confidence at all. He also found that two-thirds of people believe that vaccination is important for their health.
Reporting by Kate Kelland, edited by Giles Elgood