COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy decreased in late 2020 and early 2021, according to a study published Sept. 24 in Jama Network Open.
Researchers at Emory University and Georgia State University in Atlanta polled 3,439 U.S. adults about their willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine between Aug. 9 and Dec. 8, 2020. They also conducted a follow-up survey between March 2 and April 21, 2021.
During the initial survey, 1,061 respondents expressed hesitancy. Of these individuals, 37 percent said they were likely to get vaccinated during the follow-up survey, and 32 percent said they'd already received the vaccine. Another 32 percent still said they were unlikely to get vaccinated.
"Vaccine hesitancy is waning, yet inequities in receipt remain," study authors said. "There is a clear public health opportunity to convert higher vaccine willingness into successfully delivered vaccinations."
More research is also needed to understand why vaccination hesitancy is changing over time, they added.
To view the full study, click here.