Vaccine skepticism among adult Filipinos continues to die down, according to the result of the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations on Thursday, Jan. 20.
The natiowide survey done face-to-face from December 12 to 16, 2021, among 1,440 respondents found that only 8 percent of adult Filipinos were unwilling (1 percent probably not and 7 percent surely not) to get vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
SWS mentioned that this was down from the 18 percent (4 percent probably not, 14 percent surely not) in September 2021, 21 percent (3 percent probably not, 18 percent surely not) in June 2021, and 33 percent (7 percent probably not, 26 percent surely not) in May 2021.
According to SWS, the December 2021 survey also found that only 6 percent said that they were uncertain about getting vaccinated, down from the 19 percent in September 2021, 24 percent in June 2021, and 35 percent in May 2021.
On the other hand, the December survey found 50 percent of adults reporting they got at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This total consists of 38 percent reporting they received two doses of the vaccine and 13 percent reporting they received one dose, correctly rounded.
The percentage of those reporting they got at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has steadily increased from 10 percent (3 percent two doses, 7 percent one dose) in June 2021 and 35 percent (25 percent two doses, 10 percent one dose) in September 2021.
Of those unvaccinated, the December 2021 survey found 35 percent were willing to get vaccinated, consisting of 33 percent who said they will surely get vaccinated and 3 percent who said they will probably get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, SWS said that compared to September 2021, the percentage of those unwilling to get vaccinated fell in all areas.
On the other hand, SWS also mentioned that while skepticism is less among the better educated, the percentage of those unwilling to get vaccinated also fell from September 2021 to December 2021 in all educational groups.
At the same time, SWS added that compared to September 2021, the percentage of those unwilling to get vaccinated declined to single-digit levels in all ages except among those 55 years old and above.