CNBC poll shows very little will persuade most unvaccinated Americans to get Covid shots

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/10/cnbc-poll-shows-very-little-will-persuade-unvaccinated-americans-to-get-covid-shots.html?__source=sharebar|email&par=sharebar

Americans who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 are largely driven by a mistrust of the government and fears over vaccine side effects, and there is very little that can be done to persuade them to get the shots, a new CNBC/Change Research poll reveals.

Change Research surveyed 1,775 respondents for CNBC from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 about Americans’ views on Covid vaccines, President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and other issues.

Among the 29% of U.S. voters who are unvaccinated, 83% say they do not plan to get the lifesaving shots, the survey shows. ...

Of the unvaccinated respondents, 84% said their decision against immunization wouldn’t change if the vaccines had no side effects and 87% said they still wouldn’t get the shots if their employer mandated them. Just 5% and 4% of respondents, respectively, said those things would make them “much more likely” to change their minds, the survey shows. Pressure from family members made little difference, with just 2% saying that would make them much more likely to get the shots.

Growing vaccine hesitancy could make it difficult to reach the up to 90% vaccination rate that some health officials have suggested is necessary to achieve nationwide herd immunity to Covid. ...

Some 34% of unvaccinated respondents said they were hesitant to get the shots because they didn’t trust the federal government, while another 34% were worried about the vaccine’s side effects. Less than 10% of unvaccinated respondents said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if the delta variant were more problematic in their community, and 7% said they would get vaccinated if asked by Trump.

“There does appear to be something specific to COVID-19 at work as well, because 56% of the unvaccinated report having received a flu shot in the past,” the poll said. ..