Nearly two-thirds of voters say they will not want a coronavirus vaccine as soon as it becomes available, according to a new survey.
A Suffolk University poll found that 67% of people would think twice about getting first access to a coronavirus vaccine once it is granted federal approval and that 44% would wait to get vaccinated until others have tried it first.
Pollsters also found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to get the vaccine at some point, either immediately or after others have gotten it. The youngest people included in the survey, under 24, and the oldest, 75 and older, were the likeliest to get the vaccine at some point.
The polling data, which also measured people’s trust in media sources and members of Congress, showed that a large majority, 63%, believe the federal government has not gotten the coronavirus pandemic under control.
The pandemic has become a key campaign issue for both President Trump and Joe Biden. Whichever candidate wins in November will have to garner significantly more public trust in government institutions, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in order to pursue immunization of the population. The Trump administration has undertaken a major effort to accelerate the development and production of a COVID-19 vaccine, but there are signs that the rush has sparked fears that the process is being influenced by political considerations.
The polling data comes amid increases of roughly 40,000 new coronavirus cases daily, bringing the total case tally to more than 6.17 million.
