Section outline

    • In this section, you'll learn WHO tends to be vaccine hesitant and WHY

    • WHO IS VACCINE HESITANT?

      • Vaccine hesitancy is a global problem. Surveys in 2021 report that only between 50% and 60% of all respondents worldwide would be willing to receive a covid-19 vaccine, with wide variations across countries.
      • In November 2020 the UK Household Survey found that overall only 18% of people were hesitant about taking the Covid vaccine , in contrast with high levels of hesitancy in people of Black ethnicity (72%) followed by South Asians of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage (both 42%), and mixed ethnicities (32%), though levels of vaccine hesitancy were comparable with White people in respondents of Chinese ethnicity. Lower vaccination rates in people who live in more deprived areas (most deprived 87%, least deprived 92.1%)
      • Higher vaccine hesitancy is also reported among women (women 21%, men 15%), younger age groups (28% in 25-34 years, versus 14% in 55-64 years), and in people with a lower education level (24% in secondary school graduates; 13% in university graduates)

      Source: Azeem Majeed et al, ‘ Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy’, BMJ 2021; 373 https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1138  (Published 20 May 2021)

    • WHY ARE PEOPLE VACCINE HESITANT?


      People are vaccine hesitant for a wide variety of reasons. But they broadly fall into three main categories:

      Complacency [ie a feeling that the risk of disease is low for the individual concerned; or other things more important]

      Confidence [eg lack of trust in the safety of vaccine, or in institutions or governments promoting it]

      Convenience [perceived or real problems with accessing the vaccine, or for medical reasons]




    • Common Concerns - a visual summary File
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      Have a look at this visual summary of common concerns about Covid Vaccines and some tips on addressing them and links to great resources. Follow the sections in order: 1-5.

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    • Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minority groups File
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      A brief editorial from BMJ exploring why some ethnic groups are more likely to be vaccine hesitant, and how we can try to tackle it

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    • BBC Article : Covid: Black leaders fear racist past feeds mistrust in vaccine URL
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      Barely a month into England's coronavirus vaccine programme, a stark inequality began to reveal itself. Black people were less likely than any other group, and half as likely as white people, to have had the jab.

      By April 2021 , 64% of black over-50s had been vaccinated compared with 93% of white people of the same age. The reasons for this are complex. Unethical medical treatment in the past, ongoing discrimination and personal experiences of insensitive treatment by the NHS are all believed to play a part.

      But doctors, researchers and campaigners who spoke to the BBC said they feared black communities were being blamed.