The survey was conducted jointly by research firm YouGov and mainstream media outlet Yahoo News. The survey was held between July 13 to 15 on 1,715 American adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
According to the results of the survey, 29 percent of unvaccinated Americans believe the experimental COVID-19 vaccines that were developed in under a year are more dangerous to a person's health than the coronavirus itself.
Thirty-seven percent of the unvaccinated said the coronavirus was the greater threat to their health. The remaining 35 percent said they were unsure. (Related: Survey: 1 in 5 Americans believe coronavirus vaccines contain microchips.)
The answers of unvaccinated Americans stand in stark contrast to their vaccinated counterparts, 83 percent of whom said the virus was the greater risk to their health and that of the general public. Five percent of the vaccinated adults said the vaccines they took were a greater threat to their health than the virus. The remaining 12 percent were unsure.
When the unvaccinated Americans surveyed were asked to pick the "most important reason" they have not been vaccinated, 45 percent said they do not trust the vaccines.
Twelve percent said they are not worried about getting the coronavirus. Nine percent said they already had COVID-19 and therefore do not need to get vaccinated.
Four percent said they lack "easy access" to the vaccines and three percent said they are unable to get enough time off work to get vaccinated.
Unvaccinated Americans concerned about long-term effects of experimental vaccines
Of the unvaccinated Americans surveyed, 37 percent said they do not want to get the vaccine due to concerns about its potentially deadly long-term side effects. Seventeen percent said they do not trust how the government handled the creation of the vaccines.
Sixteen percent said they believe the COVID-19 vaccines are far too new and that pharmaceutical companies cut corners or rushed vaccine development. Eleven percent said they are concerned about the fact that the vaccine has not been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The remaining six percent of the unvaccinated said they do not trust any sort of vaccine.
When the unvaccinated participants were asked to select all the reasons they do not trust the COVID-19 vaccines – as opposed to just the most important reason for them – many selected all of the possible options.
Seventy percent said they are concerned about long-term side effects, 60 percent said the vaccines are too new, 55 percent said they do not trust the government and 50 percent said they are concerned about short-term adverse effects.
Forty-five percent said they do not want to take an experimental vaccine that has not been approved by the FDA. Another 45 percent said they do not trust big pharma.
Twenty-six percent said they do not trust any vaccines.
The survey also found that, of the unvaccinated Americans, 51 percent said they will never get vaccinated and 20 percent said they will keep waiting "to see what happens to others before deciding." The remaining 22 percent of unvaccinated Americans said they are not sure whether they will eventually get the vaccine.
All of the unvaccinated individuals who took the survey represent the equivalent of 76 million people in the United States, over half of whom are never going to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Unvaccinated Americans not concerned about the post-vaccine Delta variant
Yahoo News and YouGov sought to understand whether the fearmongering of government and public health officials regarding the post-vaccine Delta variant has affected their feelings regarding vaccinations.
According to the survey, 39 percent of unvaccinated Americans say they are not worried about the delta variant. This is an eight-point rise from a survey in June that asked the same question.
Only 33 percent of the unvaccinated survey participants believe the delta variant poses "a serious risk" to "all Americans." Another 17 percent said it poses a serious risk, but only for unvaccinated Americans. Thirty percent of the unvaccinated participants believe the delta variant does not pose a serious risk to anybody. The remaining 20 percent said they are not sure.
In contrast, 85 percent of vaccinated Americans believe the delta variant poses a serious risk to all Americans.
Just 15 percent of the unvaccinated survey participants said the spread of the delta variant makes them more likely to get vaccinated. Another 12 percent said the exact opposite, that the delta variant actually makes them less likely to get vaccinated. The remaining 73 percent said it makes no difference.
Learn more about how the unvaccinated population feels about experimental COVID-19 vaccines at Vaccines.news.
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