Today we launch the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, an ongoing project tracking the public’s attitudes and experiences with #COVID19 vaccinations. Here are some takeaways from the first survey 1/ https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/report/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-december-2020

Our survey – like several others – shows an increase since the fall in willingness to get a #COVID19 vaccine, but 27% overall remain hesitant, including 35% of Black adults and 33% of essential workers 2/ https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/report/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-december-2020

COVID-19 vaccine attitudes continue to divide sharply on partisan lines, with 71% of Republicans saying getting vaccinated is a personal choice, and 70% of Democrats saying it’s part of everyone’s responsibility to protect the health of others 3/

Reasons for #COVID19 vaccine hesitancy differ by subgroups, underscoring need for targeted outreach. 71% of hesitant Black adults worry about side effects & 50% think they may get COVID from the vax; 57% of hesitant Republicans think the risks of COVID are exaggerated 4/

We divided groups according to levels of #COVID-19 vaccine enthusiasm. 1/3 want the vax “as soon as possible” but 4/10 want to “wait and see” how it’s working for others. Smaller shares say they’ll get it “only if required” (9%) or “definitely won’t” get it (15%) 5/

Each of these groups has different behaviors and beliefs about #COVID19, and each will require different communications strategies. What happens in the initial stages of vaccine rollout will be critical to how the “wait and see” group responds when their turn comes 6/

As trust in national public health messengers has eroded and become more partisan, our survey finds individual health care providers are the most trusted source of #COVID19 vaccine information and will have a critical role to play in outreach 7/7 https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/report/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-december-2020