Vaccine hesitancy is decreasing in the U.S.
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An increasing number of Americans say they want to get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible, per new KFF polling.
Yes, but: Race, partisanship and geography still serve as major dividing lines for vaccine enthusiasm. And people of color are less likely than white Americans to say they have been vaccinated themselves or know someone who has.
By the numbers: 41% of U.S. adults now say they'll get a vaccine as soon as it's made available to them, an increase from 34% in December. Another 6% said they have already been vaccinated.
- The share of adults who said they want to wait and see how the vaccine is working for others before getting it dropped, from 39% in December to 31% this month.
- Another 7% said this month that they'll only get the vaccine if required, and 13% said they definitely won't.
Between the lines: Vaccine enthusiasm increased across racial groups, but Black and Hispanic adults are still significantly more likely than white adults to say they want to wait and see before getting the vaccine, and enthusiasm is highest among white Americans.
- And while enthusiasm has greatly increased among rural Americans, people living in rural areas remain much more likely than their urban counterparts to say they definitely won't get the vaccine.
- Democrats remain the most enthusiastic political group about getting vaccinated, while Republicans' views remained nearly the same from December. Only 32% say they've already been vaccinated or want the vaccine as soon as possible, and a third say they definitely won't get one or will only do so if required.
What we're watching: White adults are more likely than Black and Hispanic adults to say they've already been vaccinated or know someone who has.
- Knowing someone who's been vaccinated is correlated with vaccine enthusiasm, suggesting that progress on equity will beget progress on hesitancy — which will benefit us all by getting us closer to herd immunity.
