Partnerships and Collaboration
Latkin and colleagues conducted a nationally representative survey in May 2020 to examine opinions regarding vaccine hesitancy. The key outcome measure asked: if and when available, would you plan on getting the vaccine. A key set of covariate measures focused on COVID-19 prevention behaviors such as staying away from large groups, wearing a mask when leaving home, and washing hands more frequently. Additional covariates included knowing a close relative or friend who has contracted COVID-19 and how worried are you that you or someone in your family will get infected with COVID-19. Compared to White participants, Black and Hispanic respondents were significantly more likely to report that they did not intend to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, compared to those who reported positive vaccine intentions, respondents with negative vaccine intentions were significantly less likely to report that they engaged in the COVID-19 prevention behaviors of wearing masks and social distancing.