Two-thirds of parents will definitely or probably vaccinate their children or have done so
Seventy-three percent of New Jerseyans say they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and while another 10 percent say they will likely roll up their sleeve for it, 16 percent remain unwilling, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll.
The large number of Garden State residents getting vaccinated is a drastic change from the widespread vaccine hesitancy last fall before Pfizer and Moderna's initial news of successful vaccine trials.
Older residents, higher-income residents, and residents with higher levels of education are all more likely than their counterparts to say they have received at least one dose of a vaccine, as are exurban (81 percent), suburban (77 percent), and urban (75 percent) residents compared to those living in other regions of the state. Republicans (32 percent) and independents (34 percent) are twice as likely as Democrats (16 percent) to report not getting a dose yet.
Among people unwilling to get vaccinated, 67 percent cite a concern about side effects (down from 80 percent), 58 percent cite a distrust in the government and 57 percent cite the belief that the vaccines were developed and tested too quickly as "major reasons" for their resistance.
Fifty-five percent of those vaccine-hesitant say a "major reason" is that they feel they do not need it (up from 25 percent). Forty-nine percent cite wanting to know more about how the vaccine works (down from 82 percent), and 47 percent cite seeing too many mistakes from the medical system in the past as "major reasons." Thirty-three percent say a "major reason" is that they simply do not get vaccines in general.
