Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy is highest among younger adults in Ireland, according to a new Ipsos MRBI survey.
85% of the population now say they are prepared to or have already received a vaccine – an increase from 75 per cent in January according to The Irish Times.
This cohort was made up of 73 per cent of nearly 1,000 survey respondents who said they would get a Covid-19 jab, and 12 per cent who had already received one.
However, people aged between 25 and 34 were least willing to receive the vaccine, with 10 per cent of this group saying they would not take the jab.
Overall, 10 per cent of survey respondents were unsure about getting a vaccine – a reduction from 18 per cent of undecided respondents in January.
The youngest group of adults were most undecided on the matter, with one in five 18 to 24-year-olds still to make up their mind.
Declining refusal
As the number of respondents who said they would take a vaccine increased from January, there was a marginal decline in the numbers who said they would refuse to be inoculated.
The number of those unsure about participating in the rollout also decreased from seven per cent in January to a current six per cent.
The tracker survey was conducted on behalf of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), which represents the international research-based biopharmaceutical industry.
Ipsos MRBI carried out 983 telephone interviews with adults in the first two weeks of April, with a sample nationally representative for age, gender, geography and social class.
The survey company noted that the survey may underestimate the vaccinated cohort, as people in nursing homes, hospitals and other care settings were not interviewed.
Bernard Mallee, a director at the IPHA, said the “encouraging” results should not give way to complacency.
“We must keep facts to the forefront and trust the science,” he said. “Our industry, working with so many others, is bringing forward safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines in record time...
“Safety and effectiveness are our watchwords.”
