Vaccine hesitancy has fallen significantly since 2020

Between November 2020 and November 2021, the proportion of people undecided about taking a Covid-19 vaccine fell from 35% to just 2%.

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy has fallen significantly in the last year, new market research has found.

According to the Ipsos MRBI tracker research for the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), the representative body for the research-based biopharma industry, 17% of people surveyed in November 2020 said they would refuse one of the vaccines.

But by last month, that figure had dropped to 5%.

The figures also show that between November 2020 and November 2021, the proportion of people undecided about taking a Covid-19 vaccine fell from 35% to just 2%.

That places the overall drop in hesitancy at 45 points.

Ipsos MRBI conducted 1,003 telephone interviews with adults aged over 18 between November 1 and 14 last. They say the sample was nationally representative for age, gender, geography and social class.

An analysis of the findings shows that among 18 to 34-year-olds, the proportion of people who would refuse a vaccine for Covid-19 has dropped from 19% in November 2020 to 6% in November 2021.

The proportion of people in that age category undecided about taking a Covid-19 vaccine fell from 38% to 3% in the same period.

That means hesitancy among people aged between 18 and 34 dropped by 48 points in 12 months.

Bernard Mallee, the director of communications and advocacy at the IPHA, said vaccines protect people from serious diseases.

“From childhood to later in life, the development of vaccines has protected us from serious, and sometimes deadly, diseases,” he said.

“In Ireland, smallpox, rubella, polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, pneumonia and measles used to be part of life. Now, we don’t have to worry about them as much.

“Vaccines for COVID-19, developed in record time without compromising on safety and quality, are saving and protecting millions of lives around the world.

“That COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is low in Ireland has helped to make us one of the most vaccinated countries in the world. Vaccination reduces serious illness and mortality, giving us a very effective weapon in the battle against COVID-19.

“Vaccines, allied with public health measures, protect health and save lives.

The emergence of the Omicron variant, and the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, show that we need to keep searching for new scientific paths to combat the virus.

“We are fortunate to live at a time of unprecedented medical innovation. We should continue to trust science and to heed public health advice.” 

The findings come as the latest data from the HSE shows the percentage uptake of Covid-19 vaccines in those aged 18 stands at almost 95% and is close to 93% in the 12 to 17 age group.