MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th March, 2021) A recent survey by Imperial College London's Institute of Global Health Innovation and the YouGov polling firm found that confidence in COVID-19 vaccines is growing globally.
The study tracked attitudes in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom between November and February. In mid-February, 58 percent of respondents said they would definitely get vaccinated if the opportunity presents itself.
"Comparing November 2020 and February 2021, the share of respondents who 'strongly agreed' [to get vaccinated if a vaccine is available] has increased by at least 9 percentage points in 11 of the 14 countries surveyed, and by over 20 percentage points in 7 of these. The share of respondents who 'strongly disagreed' has decreased or remained relatively constant across all 14 countries surveyed," the pollster said.
The United Kingdom has the highest percentage of "strongly agree" responses � 70 percent � while France has the highest number of vaccine skeptics � with 33 percent of those who "strongly disagree," according to the findings.
"As of mid-February, 45% of respondents report feeling worried about potential side effects of a COVID-19 vaccine. A quarter of people surveyed (25%) report that they are indifferent about the potential side effects. France has the highest share of people who 'strongly agree' that they are worried about side effects (38%) and the UK has the lowest (12%)," the pollster said.
All participating countries but Israel have had at least five waves of responses.
