Even if we get a coronavirus vaccine, a third of Americans may refuse it, poll finds

It’s unknown when a coronavirus vaccine will be available to the public, but a large portion of Americans may choose not to get one when it is, a poll by Morning Consult shows.

Morning Consult surveyed 2,200 United States adults and said 64% of them will get a vaccine that would protect them from coronavirus. That means 36% may opt out — 14% saying definitively they would not get one and the other 22% being unsure, according to the survey.

Adults ages 65 and up are most likely to get a vaccine when it becomes available, according to Morning Consult. Eighty percent of those surveyed said they would, while just 53 percent of adults ages 35 to 44 told Morning Consult they would vaccinate.

Those who are registered as Democrats are much more likely to get a coronavirus vaccination than Republicans. Twenty percent of Republicans would refuse the vaccine, while just 7% of Democrats would choose not to get one.

“According to some estimates, 50 to 70% of Americans would need to develop immunity to COVID19 — either naturally, or via a vaccine — in order to thwart the spread of the virus,” U.S. News & World Report said.

A separate survey by U.S. News showed 23 percent of people would refuse a vaccine. It also showed nearly two-thirds of people skeptical about vaccines will not get one for coronavirus.

There are currently eight possible vaccines undergoing clinical evaluations, according to the World Health Organization.

More than 1.21 million people in the United States have confirmed coronavirus cases and 72,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Even if we get a coronavirus vaccine, a third of Americans may refuse it, poll finds."