SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s note: The Bexar Facts-KSAT-San Antonio Report poll is a partnership that launched in Feb. 2020 with the aim of informing and engaging the San Antonio community. See the results of the fifth poll here.
Bexar County residents are more receptive now to getting a COVID-19 vaccine than they were six months ago, a new Bexar Facts-KSAT-San Antonio Report poll shows.
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When residents were asked in September 2020 how likely they were to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, 31% said they were unlikely to get inoculated. But when asked the same question in March, only 16% of residents said they were unlikely to get vaccinated. A total of 81% said they were already vaccinated, very likely or somewhat likely to receive one.
“National data has shown the same trend of declining vaccine hesitancy over the last six months (as we see in Bexar County,)” said Dave Metz, founder of FM3 Research, which conducted the poll. “It’s likely a combination of factors – concerted efforts by public health authority to encourage people and allay fears, as well as real-world experience. Enough people have been vaccinated that most voters likely have friends or family members who have gotten the vaccine, with none of the negative health impacts that might have been feared. And we also shouldn’t underestimate people’s desire to return to something like normal life – with vaccination a critical step toward that goal.”
In a Los Angeles Times report, according to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, fewer than 8,000 adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine are categorized as serious. That works out to a rate of about 50 reports per 1 million doses administered.
In other words, adverse reactions from vaccines are rare — especially when compared with the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S.
As for the reasons for not wanting to get the Moderna, Pfizer or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the answers from respondents varied.
Topping the list was not enough research at 31%, concerns over long-term effects at 20%, not at high risk at 17%, just don’t want it at 16% and not trusting the vaccine or the government at 12%.
As for who in the electorate doesn’t want the vaccine, they tend to be younger, male and conservative.
Conservative independents topped the list at 32%, followed by very conservative voters at 30% and independents under the age of 50 at 29%.
The poll was conducted from March 23 to 29 by phone and email in both English and Spanish. A total of 618 Bexar County residents were surveyed in the poll. The poll has a 4% margin of error. You can read more about the methodology here.
Read more on our Vaccine page:
How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are available