Growing Share of Americans Say They Plan To Get a COVID-19 Vaccine – or Already Have
77% think vaccinations will benefit the economy.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
77% think vaccinations will benefit the economy.
Trust in scientists and medical scientists has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, with 29% of U.S. adults saying they have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public. This is down from 40% in November 2020 and 35% in January 2019, before COVID-19 emerged. Other prominent groups – including the military, police officers and public school principals – have also seen their ratings decline.
Still about two-in-ten U.S. adults are “pretty certain” they won’t get the vaccine – even when there’s more information.
Large majorities value government investments in science and consider it important for the United States to be a world leader in scientific achievement, but few think the country is gaining ground globally.
There are widely held concerns about the safety and effectiveness of a possible vaccine and the pace of the approval process.
Americans see “social distancing” measures urged by public health officials to limit the spread of COVID-19 as generally appropriate.
Also, a declining share of Republicans say the coronavirus is a major threat to health in the United States.
Polling finds public trust in medical scientists has increased but only among Democrats – while optimism about a vaccine is broadly shared.
About six-in-ten Americans believe social distancing measures are helping a lot to slow the spread of coronavirus in the nation.
Majorities of Americans support an array of measures to address climate change but stop short of a full break with fossil fuels.
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