Republicans four times more likely than Democrats not to get COVID-19 vaccine: poll

A poll released on Monday determined that Republican respondents were four times more likely than Democrats to say they would never get the COVID-19 vaccine as immunizations begin to be administered across the country.

An ABC News-Ipsos poll found that a respondent’s party identification was directly related to their willingness to take the vaccine. A total of 26 percent of Republican respondents said they would never get the COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 6 percent of Democrats and 14 percent of independents. 

The poll found that almost twice as many Democrats, or 49 percent, expressed willingness to take the vaccine as soon as it’s available, compared with 28 percent of Republicans and 42 percent of independents. 

But 45 percent of Democrats, Republicans and independents all said they would wait a bit before getting immunized. 

Overall, about 8 in 10 respondents said they would get the vaccine, with 40 percent saying they would as soon as possible and 44 percent saying they would wait. Fifteen percent of respondents said they would refuse to get vaccinated. 

When broken down by age, 93 percent of those over age 65 say they will take the vaccine, with 57 percent saying they will get it as soon as possible. For those under 30 years old, 80 percent are open to getting vaccinated, but 50 percent say they will wait before getting it. 

About 9 in 10 respondents with at least a bachelor’s degree were open to getting a vaccine, while 80 percent of those with a high school degree or less agree. 

A total of 69 percent of respondents said they or someone they know had contracted COVID-19, and among those, 45 percent said they would immediately take the vaccine. But out of respondents who have not been and don’t know anyone who has been infected, 30 percent said they would obtain the vaccine right away. 

The ABC News-Ipsos poll surveyed 621 adults between Dec. 12-13. It had a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points. 

The poll comes after the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, sparking the distribution process for the first doses. Health care workers and vulnerable populations are designated to receive the first vaccinations in the country.