Vaccine Intention Made Gains in 2021

In an ongoing survey of 21 countries by YouGov, the number of respondents who said they’ll definitely take the COVID-19 vaccine or have already gotten it has increased since the beginning of the year. Confidence in the vaccines increased most in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, two countries with very successful vaccination campaigns. Overall approval was highest in the UK, followed by the UAE.

Despite some ups and downs in vaccine confidence due to safety concerns surrounding the AstraZeneca and Johnson&Johnson vaccines, populations around the world have largely improved their willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine since they began to become available early this year. A few exceptions of decreasing vaccine willingness happened in places with very low infection burdens, leading people to conclude they don't actually needed the vaccine - for example in Hong Kong, Thailand or Taiwan.

The Philippines' vaccine approval rating of 56 percent was the lowest in the survey after Hong Kong and Taiwan. Other then its two regional neighbors, the Philippines remain heavily affected by the virus and recently experienced another major virus surge that saw the country record upwards of 10,000 cases per day. Despite the virus burden, vaccine supply in the COVAX-eligable country remains a problem.

Vaccine willingness also remained low in heavily-affected France. The country known for its at-times skeptical stance on vaccines nevertheless improved intent by almost 20 percent from 39 percent to 58 percent between January and April.