Poll: Americans aren’t sure about getting a coronavirus vaccine

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – As research ramps up across the world to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, expediting a process that has historically taken years, less than half of Americans say they will get vaccinated if given the chance.

Results from the latest NBC/SurveyMonkey weekly tracking poll found 44 percent of Americans said they would get a government-approved COVID-19 vaccine if it becomes widely available. Only 22 percent, though, said they would not get it, while 32 percent said they are still not sure.

The poll, released Tuesday, surveyed 34,269 U.S. adults Aug. 10-16. Data has been weighted to accurately reflect the age, race, sex, education and geography of the U.S. adult population. Its margin of error is +/- 1 percentage point.

Results differed among certain demographics groups. Key dividing lines seem to be age, education level, income level, political party and race/ethnicity.

Most likely to say they would get vaccinated include men (49%), people 65 and over (58%), Asian Americans (59%), people with post-graduate degrees (68%), people with a yearly income of more than $150,000 (61%) and Democrats and those who lean Democrat (58%).

Groups most likely to say they would not get vaccinated include women (24%), people 25 to 34 (30%), Black Americans (31%), people with a high school education or less (27%), people making less than $15,000 (28%) and Republicans (33%).

Use the interactive chart below to view full results by demographic:

Researchers around the globe are currently working on more than 165 vaccines, according to this handy vaccine tracker from The New York Times. It shows a few dozen have already reached human trials, and two – one from a Chinese company and another from the Russian Health Ministry – have been approved for limited or early use.

Widespread effectiveness of the Chinese and Russian vaccines have yet to be proven, however. Scientists hope to have a safe and effective vaccine available by next year.