LONDON (Reuters) – People’s willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is rising worldwide and more than half of respondents said they would take the shot if offered next week, it was found on Thursday an updated survey on global confidence in the vaccine.
But attitudes and confidence vary widely in the 15 countries surveyed, with France with high levels of skepticism and some Asian countries with declining confidence in vaccines, while some European nations are seeing increased confidence.
In general, vaccine confidence is higher than in November, when the same survey, conducted in 15 countries and covering 13,500 people at a time, found that only 40% would be willing to be vaccinated.
The survey, co-led by YouGov and the Institute for Global Health Innovation (IGHI) at Imperial College London, found that people in Britain were most willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, in the UK. 78%, followed by Denmark at 67%.
France had the highest proportion of respondents who said they would not get a vaccine, with 44%, but saw a doubling of the proportion who strongly agreed that they would get a vaccine, from 15% in November at 30% in January.
In Australia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, the will to take a vaccine has fallen since November, with Japan being the least prepared, followed by Singapore.
“Because vaccines will play a vital role in controlling the pandemic, leaders must act now to help more people understand the benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and make sure no one is left behind. said David Nabarro, co-member of the IGI. director and expert on COVID-19 of the World Health Organization.
The survey is part of the efforts of WHO and other agencies to monitor health-related behavior and attitudes during the pandemic.
Since April 2020, researchers have surveyed more than 470,000 people worldwide. This most recent survey was conducted from 4 to 24 January.
It was found that most people trust vaccines, with two-thirds expressing strong or moderate confidence and only 12% reporting no confidence. It was also found that two-thirds of people believe that vaccination is important for their health.
Report by Kate Kelland, edited by Giles Elgood