Over a quarter of EU adults are unlikely to take a vaccine, survey says
More than a quarter of adults in the European Union are unlikely to take the Covid-19 vaccine when offered the jab, a survey has shown today.
The results suggested a meaningful link between vaccine hesitancy and the use of social media, particularly where social media is the main source of information, according to Eurofound, also known as the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
“Unfortunately, these findings reflect a failure to deliver persuasive and clear communication regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccines,” Eurofound senior research manager, Daphne Ahrendt, said.
The average vaccination rate in the EU is currently 31.3 per cent.
The most reluctant region was Bulgaria, where 67 per cent of adults said they were unlikely or very unlikely to get it.
Vaccine uptake
An east-west divide in vaccine uptake has been reported since last year, which the recent survey’s findings echoed, after being conducted in February and March 2021.
The rate of planned uptake in Eastern member states was lower, ranging from 59 per cent in Romania to 33 per cent in Bulgaria.
Vaccine hesitancy has been exacerbated by time spent on social media and which platform was used, the survey said – as 40 per cent of vaccine-hesitant participants used social media as their primary source of news.
Meanwhile, only 18 per cent of those who used the press, radio and television for information were vaccine sceptics.
Eurofound, an EU agency, also found that students, employed or retired people were less vaccine-hesitant than average, while 39 per cent of unemployed people or those with a long-term disease or disability were more hesitant.