COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy drops, interest in getting inoculated grows in U.S., surveys show

COVID-19 vaccines
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The number of Americans who say they won't or are reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to shrink while the share who say they are excited to get the vaccine is rising, new surveys from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the U.S. Census Bureau show. In KFF's latest monthly poll, about 61 percent of U.S. adults said they have either gotten their first dose already or are eager to get the shot, up from 47 percent in January. An estimated 70-90 percent of the U.S. population will need to be immune for the pandemic to be under control.

There was an especially sharp rise in the percentage of Black Americans who said they want to get vaccinated, now 55 percent, versus 61 percent of Latinos and 64 percent of white people, KFF found. Overall, 20 percent of respondents said they won't get vaccinated at all or only if required by work or school, and Republicans (29 percent) and white evangelical Christians (28 percent) were still overrepresented in that group. Another 46 percent of Republicans said they have or will get vaccinated, versus 79 percent of Democrats.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.