40% of NL residents hesitant about eventual coronavirus vaccine
If a vaccine against Covid-19 was discovered, 41 percent of Netherlands residents would be hesitant to get vaccinated. They worry that the vaccine would be rushed and about the risks involved in it, according to a survey by EenVandaag among 35 thousand Dutch. Young people in particular are hesitant about this vaccine.
59 percent of respondents said that they would get vaccinated once a good vaccine is available. 18 percent said they don't want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. And 23 percent are hesitant.
The 41 percent who are hesitant about or against a coronavirus vaccine find it hard to believe that a vaccine that is developed quickly will be sufficiently safe. They are very worried about short and long term side effects. "I don't feel like being a guinea pig," one respondent said. Many in this group said they'd rather see money go into finding a medicine to treat coronavirus patients, rather than a vaccine for the whole population.
Younger people in particular are hesitant about being vaccinated against the coronavirus. 23 percent of Netherlands residents under 55 do not want to be vaccinated, and 26 percent are hesitant. They are generally not so afraid of the coronavirus, and therefore prefer not to risk possible side effects of a vaccine. "I am young and healthy. The problem of corona is minimal to me. But with such a vaccine, I think the remedy is worse than the disease."
Most of the 59 percent who are eager to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, see the vaccine as a ticket to the "old normal" - living without restrictions on freedom and fear of the virus. Many also said that they want to get vaccinated for the more vulnerable members of society. "My parents are diabetics and I would hate if they get sick from me or anyone else who hadn't been vaccinated. I find that obvious," one respondent said.
People who are in a high risk group themselves are also largely up for vaccination. "I have not been able to move freely for months and do my work. Vaccination would be liberation for me," a respondent said.
