60% of Americans don’t know when to get Covid-19 vaccine, 55% unaware where they can get the shot: Poll
A majority or 6 in 10 Americans who are yet to get vaccinated against the coronavirus do not know when they will be able to get the vaccine and 55% do not have enough information about where they will be able to get the shot. Some states having slightly different vaccine priority criteria, and four in 10 (43%) say they do not have enough information about how their state is deciding who gets priority for the Covid-19 shot.
While older Americans are a high-priority group for getting a Covid-19 vaccine, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) vaccine monitor report finds that among those who have not yet been vaccinated, most people 65 and older say they do not have enough information about when (58%) and where (59%) they will be able to get vaccinated.
In the case of essential workers, another high-priority group, 55% inform they have enough information about where to get a vaccine (55%) but do not have enough information about when they will be able to get vaccinated (55%). This includes some healthcare workers who have not yet got vaccinated and suggest they do not have enough information about when they will be able to get vaccinated (21%). A similar share (18%) of healthcare workers who are yet to get the shot do not have enough information about where to get vaccinated.
The findings highlight a key challenge facing public health authorities seeking to get their limited supplies of vaccine into the arms of priority populations. “The Biden administration has been left with a huge challenge on vaccine administration. Most Americans don’t know when or where they can get a vaccine, including older Americans, who are already eligible to get a vaccine in a growing number of states. Understandably large numbers of people are frustrated, angry, and confused,” emphasizes KFF president and CEO Drew Altman said.
Black and Hispanic adults, as well as low-income households, are among the groups least likely to say they have enough information. Within each group, at least two-thirds report that they do not have enough information about when they can get vaccinated, and at least six in 10 stated that they do not have enough information about where to get vaccinated. This further suggests that vaccinating the most vulnerable Americans will be an uphill battle.
“About six in 10 Black (62%) and Hispanic (63%) adults say they do not have enough information about where to get a Covid-19 vaccine, compared to about half of White adults who say they do not have enough information (51%). Six in 10 lower-income adults with a household income under $40,000 (61%) say they do not have enough information about where they will be able to get a vaccine, compared to about half of those with a household income of $90,000 or more (49%),” states the report. It adds, “Similarly, lower-income adults are also less likely than their higher-income counterparts to say do not have enough information about when people like them will be able to get the vaccine (66% versus 54%).
The survey was conducted between January 11-18, 2021, among a nationally representative sample of 1,563 adults, 18 and older. The findings show that there is a wide gap in how partisans grade the federal government’s performance.
Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to report the federal government is doing an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job (43% versus 17%), and Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to give negative marks (80% versus 46%). Independents fall in the middle with two-thirds giving the federal government negative marks.
“With the survey fielded in the last days of the Trump Administration, partisan opinions are more split when rating the federal government. Eight in 10 Democrats say the federal government is doing a ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ job of distributing the Covid-19 vaccines to the states, whereas Republicans are more divided in their rating of the federal government (43% rate it as ‘excellent’ or ‘good,’ and 46% ‘fair’ or ‘poor’),” state findings.
Most Americans also rate their state government’s performance as only fair or poor (60%), though without a partisan divide, as majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents hold this view.
About half (48%) of Americans expect vaccine distribution to “get better” under President Joe Biden’s administration, while many others expect the situation to “stay about the same” (36%). Relatively few (12%) expect distribution to “get worse.” Democrats overwhelmingly expect improvements under Biden (83%), as do a plurality of independents (45%). While few (12%) Republicans expect the situation to “get better” under President Biden, most (57%) expect it to stay about the same.
With millions of healthcare workers, long-term care residents and staff, and older adults across the country already getting vaccinated against the coronavirus, most (66%) of the public express that they feel ‘optimistic’ that things will get better. At the same time, half (50%) indicate they are ‘frustrated,’ a third (33%) say they feel ‘confused,’ and nearly a quarter (23%) inform they are ‘angry,’ highlighting the difficulties ahead as the vaccine rollout continues.
While optimism crosses party lines, more Democrats (61%) than Republicans (42%) or Independents (48%) say they are frustrated, reflecting their higher levels of concerns about the pandemic. The groups most likely to express confusion about the current situation includes at least four in 10 Black adults (46%), those under age 30 (40%), and those with annual incomes under $40,000 (42%).
Among other findings, two thirds (65%) of the public, including most Democrats (70%), Independents (64%), and Republicans (59%), are confident that vaccines are being distributed in a fair way, similar to the December report, which found 67% of adults were confident the vaccine would be distributed fairly.
While most Black adults express confidence that vaccines overall are being distributed fairly, half (52%) state they lack confidence that the needs of Black people are being taken into account. Among Hispanic adults, a significant minority (44%) lacks confidence that the needs of Hispanic people are being taken into account.