More than 21m people in the UK have now received at least one dose of a Coronavirus vaccine and take-up is high in most groups that qualify for protection (source: BBC, 07 March 2021).
As rollout continues, expectations of a quick return to “normal” life are rising and IGD’s ShopperVista research shows that confidence amongst grocery shoppers in February 2021 was the highest since January 2020.
Some who might qualify for a vaccine remain reluctant, however – ONS has investigated this and has identified the personal attributes most-associated with reluctance.
Around 1-in-10 people (9%) in the UK is “hesitant”, but hesitancy is higher than average in certain socio-economic and ethnic groups.
None of the groups examined is predominantly hesitant, but greater-than-average hesitancy is associated with:
- Young adults
- Women
- Black ethnicity
- Good health
- Caring for a young child
- Low income and deprivation
“Hesitance” does not necessarily equate to refusal. The government has already begun to target these groups with special messaging intended to boost uptake of the vaccine.
Reasons given for hesitancy were mostly associated with concerns around safety and effectiveness – unsurprisingly.