A majority of adults in the U.S. who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 would be willing to get a booster shot, with 59% saying they would get a booster if it were recommended and 27% saying they would wait and see, according to new survey data released by SurveyMonkey and Outbreaks Near Me, a team of epidemiologists based at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School. Just 7% say they are unsure and 5% say they would not want to get a booster. The survey was fielded from July 19 - August 8, 2021, with 39,651 respondents in the U.S.
For comparison, 65% of those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 say they plan to get a flu vaccine this flu season (before January 2022), while 18% say they are not sure and 17% say they don’t plan to get a flu shot.
Most people who haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine say they don’t plan to get a flu shot this year (54%), whereas 27% say they are not sure, and 19% say they will get a flu shot.
Differences exist among those not vaccinated against COVID-19 who plan to receive the flu vaccine. More Asians say they will get the flu vaccine than any other racial/ethnic group (32% of Asians, 22% of Hispanics, 22% of Blacks, and 17% of whites). Of Democrats who have not been vaccinated from COVID-19, a quarter (26%) will still get the flu shot compared to 17% of Republicans and 17% of Independents.
Among those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine, Republicans and Independents are still more hesitant to get a booster shot than Democrats: 70% of Democrats but just 49% of Republicans want a COVID-19 booster. Of Democrats and Republicans who’ve been vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot, two-thirds say they plan to get the flu shot at (69% and 65% respectively).
Although disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination in Black and Hispanic Americans has lagged behind. Of Americans who have been vaccinated, more whites (62%) and Asians (60%) would want a booster shot if recommended, compared to about half of Blacks (52%) and Hispanics (52%).
Similar to previous findings about the vaccine rollout, older Americans are more willing to get a booster shot than younger Americans. Among vaccinated Americans, about three-fourths (72%) of those aged 65 and above want a COVID booster, compared to less than half (44%) of 18-34 year olds, 52% of 35-44 year-olds, 58% of 45-54 year-olds, and 65% of 55-64 year-olds.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients less willing to get a COVID-19 booster
Compared to Moderna and Pfizer vaccine recipients, those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are less eager to get a COVID-19 booster or flu shot. About two-thirds of those who received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines (61% and 61%, respectively) would want a booster, compared with less than half of those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (44%). In fact, more than two times as many Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients (13%) do not want a booster shot than Moderna (5%) and Pfizer recipients (5%).
Along with their reluctance to get a COVID-19 booster, those who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine are also less likely to plan to get a flu vaccine compared with those who received either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine (51% of Johnson & Johnson, 67% of Moderna, 66% of Pfizer).
Read more about our polling methodology here.
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