Six in 10 Filipinos refuse to get inoculated against COVID-19, survey says

Sixty-one percent of FIlipinos were not inclined to get any coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, mostly citing "uncertainty" as the primary reason, based on the latest Pulse Asia survey results released on Friday, March 26.

The nationwide survey conducted from Feb. 22 to March 3, 2021 asked 2,400 respondents, "If there is already a vaccine against COVID-19, will you get vaccinated or not?"

Pulse Asia said refusal to get COVID vaccination was a sentiment "shared by majorities across geographic areas and socio-economic groupings (56 percent to 63 percent and 59 percent to 68 percent, respectively)."

About a quarter of Filipino adults (23 percent) were unable to say whether or not they will get vaccinated, while 16 percent said they were willing to get vaccinated.

Pulse Asia noted that most of those not getting vaccinated (84 percent) and those who were still undecided about being vaccinated against COVID-19 (74 percent) cited uncertainty about COVID-19 vaccines as the primary reason to explain their disinclination to be given vaccines.

"This is the majority opinion across areas and classes among those against vaccination (80 percent to 90 percent and 82 percent to 86 percent, respectively)," it said.

Among those undecided about getting vaccinated, majorities in all areas, as well as Classes D and E (57 percent to 82 percent and 56 percent to 83 percent, respectively), also cited the same reason.

In Class ABC, a "near majority" of those who cannot say whether or not they will get vaccinated (49 percent) were questioning the efficacy of vaccines against COVID-19.

Pulse Asia said the other reasons given by Filipinos to explain why they are either against vaccination or undecided have to do with uncertainty about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines (7 percent to 15 percent), the view that vaccine is not necessary to combat the disease (6 percent), and price-related concerns such as vaccines either not being given to the public for free (1 percent to 3 percent) or being costly or expensive (1 percent to 2 percent).