The coronavirus vaccination gap

Older generations would rush to get the jab - but young people are less sure about vaccination

BABY boomers and the “Silent Generation” are far more likely to accept a Covid-19 vaccination than Millennials or members of Generation Z. The results of a Government survey show that compliance with the vaccination programme currently being rolled out across the UK increases with age.

Of people aged between 16 and 29, only 63 per cent said they would be “very likely” to have the vaccination, were it offered to them, while another 18 per cent said they would be “fairly likely”, and seven per cent had yet to make up their minds.

Meanwhile, almost one in 10 (eight per cent) said they were either “very” or “fairly” unlikely to have the vaccination.

Similarly, 86 per cent of people aged between 30 and 49 were fairly or very likely to have the vaccine, while seven per cent would probably refuse it.

Among the 50 to 69 age group, 94 per cent expect to take the vaccine, and three per cent are likely to reject it.

By contrast, 98 per cent of elderly people aged over 70 said they were either very likely or fairly likely to have the vaccine, while only one per cent said they were fairly or very unlikely to have it.

The survey also found that men were more likely to want a vaccine than women, with 90 per cent fairly or very likely to accept it compared to 88 per cent of women.

It also found people living in the South West of England were most likely to have the vaccine, with 95 per cent saying they wanted the jab.

Least likely were Londoners and the Welsh - 86 per cent of people living in Wales and the same proportion of those living in London said they would probably have the vaccination.

Of the five per cent of people of all ages across the country who said they intended to refuse the jab, 43 per cent were worried about long term effects on their health, and 42 per cent were afraid of side effects.

Four out of 10 sceptics (40 per cent) said they wanted to wait to see how well the vaccine works.

Ten per cent said they were against vaccines in general, 19 per cent did not think they were personally at risk from Covid-19, and four per cent said they were worried the vaccine would give them coronavirus.

The results were published in the latest of a series of reports tracking the social impacts of coronavirus in the UK.

The weekly survey gauges opinions on subjects including personal wellbeing and optimism for the future, as well as attitudes to vaccinations and mass testing.

It comes as the UK is well on its way to hitting its target of vaccinating 13 million people by mid-february.

So far, two vaccines are being offered on the NHS, made by Pfizer/ Biontech and Oxford University/ Astrazeneca vaccine, but a third, made by U.S company Moderna, has been approved for use.

The vaccine is administered in two doses - with the Government opting to delay the second jab, in order to protect as many people as possible with the first dose.

That strategy has been criticised by doctors, but the results of a study which has not yet been formally published - appears to show the Oxford-astrazeneca is effective in reducing the spread of the virus.

Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said: “Vaccines are the most effective way to protect against Covid-19 and save lives and prevent serious complications from this terrible virus.

“The data we have collected provides further reassurance that the Covid-19 vaccines are safe and continue to meet the rigorous regulatory standards required for all vaccines. We remain confident that the benefits of these vaccines outweigh any risks.

“Our priority is to ensure the public have safe and effective vaccines and we will continue to analyse, monitor and review all the safety data for these vaccines.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has reported a potential side effect to us every report matters.”