Census Bureau surveys show that 1 in 5 Utahns will not get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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About 1 in 5 Utahns who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine say they may not have one.

(Rick Egan | Tribune Archive Photo) Kenley Hansen gets a vaccine against Kirsten Weber’s COVID-19 while Utah County residents get vaccinated at a former Shopko store in Spanish Fork on Wednesday, January 27 of 2021

| January 29, 2021, 6:40 p.m.

| Update: 19:36

Despite Herculean efforts to obtain more COVID-19 vaccines and distribute them as quickly as possible, one in five Utahns who have not yet been inoculated say they will definitely or probably not get a shot.

Her reasons range from not trusting the government to not believing the vaccines are effective, worrying about side effects and wanting to wait to see if she is safe. There are altruistic people who say that others need vaccines more than them.

According to surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau from January 6-18. It is part of ongoing surveys conducted in all states to measure the health, economic and other effects of the pandemic.
The findings come as officials have urged Utahns to get vaccinated whenever possible. They say that the faster people are inoculated, the faster the state can get the herd’s immunity back to normal. They have also said that vaccines are relatively safe and worth the risk involved in avoiding COVID-19.

In Utah, the survey found that 52.3% of residents who have not yet been vaccinated said they “definitely” plan to receive the vaccine. Utah ranked 22nd among states in this category and slightly above the national average of 0.9% to 50.9%. Another 26% said they would “probably” get a shot.

However, 8% said they “definitely” won’t. Another 13% said they “probably” won’t. Thus, in general, 21% of Utahns still vaccinated say they will probably or definitely skip the shots.

Researchers have estimated that about 75% of the population needs to acquire immunity against the virus, either from vaccines or to survive the disease, to stop transmission and achieve herd immunity. Therefore, Utah would be above that level if results were given.

Some groups reported in the survey that they are more likely than others to avoid the vaccine.

The older the respondents, the more likely they were to want the vaccine. For example, approximately 73% of Utahns age 65 or older say they definitely plan to get shot. But only 40% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 do so.

The more educated a respondent reported, the more likely they were to want to shoot.

The survey showed that 63% of Utahns who have at least a bachelor’s degree definitely plan to receive one, while only 31% of those with lower education than high school graduates.

Different breeds reported different levels of interest in receiving the vaccine. Asians in Utah had the highest percentage of people who say they definitely plan for the vaccine, 68%. This figure was 55% for Hispanics, 54% for whites, and only 19% for blacks.

The survey allowed people to list one or more reasons why they did not plan to get a vaccine. Some of the main reasons were:

• 49% said they were worried about possible side effects.

• 48% said they plan to wait to see if it is safe.

• 35% said people need it more now.

• 19% said they do not trust COVID-19 vaccines.

• 19% said they do not know if a vaccine will work.

• 17% said they do not trust the government.

• 17% said they do not think they need a vaccine.

• 9% said they don’t like vaccines.

The survey interviewed 2,085 Utah residents. The Census Bureau said the results of the general group are considered accurate with a margin of error of 3 percentage points, more or less. Subgroups, such as age, race, and education, have higher margins of error and vary.

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