Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Nearly 90% of college students say they probably or absolutely will get vaccinated, according to a BeatTheVirus/Generation Lab poll exclusive to Axios.
Why it matters: College students have contributed to the nationwide spread of the virus, and their vaccination is necessary in bringing the pandemic under control before variants spread any further.
- More than 120,000 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to U.S. colleges and universities since the beginning of 2021, per a tracker from the New York Times.
The big picture: Several large state schools have erected mass COVID-19 vaccination sites on their campuses and incentivized its students to sign up.
- As eligibility opens up, universities could become a crucial arm to increase vaccination rates.
What's happening: Students are eager to get vaccinated largely because they want to resume social activities.
- 30% said their top reason to get vaccinated was to resume in-person relationships. And 23% said their top reason was to return to in-person events like sports, live performances or bars.
Yes, but: In a separate poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, the overall willingness to get vaccinated among young people was lower.
- 60% of 18-29 year-olds said they would definitely or probably get vaccinated or have already have received their first dose, the lowest of any age group.
Methodology: The poll is based on a survey of 808 college students conducted on March 24-30