This article originally appeared on the Johns Hopkins University Hub. Below is an excerpt.
In an ongoing global survey, more than half of those who are unvaccinated in more than 50 countries indicated in August that they definitely or probably won’t get a COVID-19 vaccine. A new dashboard, launched today by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, unpacks that survey data to help explain why—and how experts can work to increase acceptance rates.
The researchers found that the primary reasons around the world for resisting vaccination include fears about side effects, a desire to wait until more people have had the shots so they know they are safe, and a lack of confidence in whether the vaccine really works.
These latest survey results, based on responses gathered between Aug. 16 and 31, can be found in the new COVID Behaviors dashboard, an interactive tool created with data collected from more than 12 million people from 115 countries. The survey—believed to be the world’s largest daily survey of global COVID knowledge, attitudes, and practices—has been fielded every day since May 20, 2021. It is expected to continue until the end of this year, and new data will become available every two weeks.
The dashboard is intended to be used by policymakers, government officials, and public health practitioners at national and sub-national levels to better understand the behavioral drivers behind vaccine uptake, masking, and physical distancing that can prevent the spread of COVID-19.