Kiwis feel more at risk from COVID, 86% 16+ likely to get vaccine

Large numbers of people in New Zealand supported the level 4 lockdown, feel more at risk of being infected by new strains of COVID-19 - and 86% of those aged 16 or older are now likely to get vaccinated.

These are the findings of Horizon's August 24-29 nationwide survey of 2,334 respondents aged 16+, conducted for the Ministry of Health. Horizon does the research in association with Auckland University's School of Population Health.

Key findings are:

Attitudes on the effect of new strains of COVID-19

• Just over three-quarters (76%) of those surveyed believe that new more infectious strains of COVID-19 put them more at risk, while only 5% believe these strains pose less risk.
• 44% who had not yet been vaccinated said they were more likely to get vaccinated with the emergence of more infectious strains of the virus. This is four times higher than those who said they were less likely to get vaccinated because of these new strains (11%).

Support for the plan to offer vaccines to all New Zealanders aged 12 years or over and extend the gap between doses

• Support for this plan (76%) is almost eleven times higher than opposition (7%).

Support for lockdown

• 83% overall support the Level 4 lockdown.
• Support is high right across every DHB area in New Zealand, ranging from 96% in Taranaki to 68% in Wairarapa.

Misinformation

• 51% of respondents had come across what they believed to be misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines.
• Those who had already been vaccinated and those who said they would 'definitely' or 'definitely not' get a vaccine were more likely than others to have seen or heard what they perceived as misinformation.
• Sources of misinformation were: social media (70%); friends or family (40%); brochures/leaflets (23%).
• Asian and Indian respondents were the most likely to not take the vaccine if alarmed by misinformation they thought was credible.
• Māori and NZ Europeans/Pākehā were the least likely to be affected by misinformation.

Accepting a vaccine

• 70% of respondents not already vaccinated said they were likely to get vaccine, a similar result to July (71%).
  • 68% of Māori respondents not already vaccinated said they were likely to get a vaccine, a similar result to July (67%).
  • 72% of Pasifika respondents not already vaccinated said they were likely to get a vaccine, up from 62% in July.
  • Respondents of Indian (85%) or Asian (82%) ethnicity, not already vaccinated, are more likely to get a vaccine compared with other ethnicities.
• 10% of respondents not already vaccinated said they were unsure if they would get a vaccine, a similar result to July (9%).
• The overall potential uptake, including those already vaccinated and those who are likely to get a vaccine is estimated to be 86% of the 16+ population, up from 79% in July. The overall potential uptake of the 12+ population is estimated to be 85.5%.
• Overall potential uptake by Māori respondents, including those already vaccinated and those who are likely to get a vaccine, was 79% (±4.5%), compared with 73% in July.
• Overall potential uptake by Pasifika respondents, including those already vaccinated and those who are likely to get a vaccine, increased to 85%, up from 72% (±11.5%) in July. (Note: the total Pasifika sample size was 157, in line with their 16+ population proportion, so results are less statistically reliable and should be treated as an indication only.)
• Overall potential uptake by respondents who identify as disabled is 86%.
• Respondents aged 16–17 years old and between 45–54 years old are the most unsure about getting a vaccine. Those aged 16–17 years also have the lowest potential uptake.
• Overall, 84% of respondents felt that it was important that everyone in New Zealand who is able to be vaccinated gets vaccinated.
• 76% of people supported the decision to offer vaccines to all New Zealanders aged 12 years or over from 1 September and extend the gap between doses.
• 73% of caregivers said they would ‘definitely’ or ‘likely’ allow 12- to 15-year-olds to be vaccinated, up from 67% in July. 14% said they were ‘unlikely’ or would ‘definitely not’ allow it (July 21%). Unsure dropped to 6% from 12% in July and June.
• Māori were more likely than average to allow their 16- to 17-year-old taiohi to get a COVID-19 vaccine but less likely than average to allow their 12- to 15-year-old tamariki to get vaccinated. This is a reversal of the July result.

Barriers to uptake

• 20% of respondents not already vaccinated say they are unlikely to have a vaccine, the same figure as July. Of that 20%, 10% will “definitely not” get a vaccine (11% in July).
• Respondents aged 45-54 years who have not yet been vaccinated are the least likely to get a vaccine.
• The main reasons for being unsure or unlikely to get a vaccine continue to be concerns about:
  • long-term effects
  • safety
  • the vaccine not being effective against new variants
  • adverse reactions
  • whether the vaccine might affect their health in other ways - waiting to see if others have side effects.
• 44% of respondents who will ‘definitely not’ get a vaccine say they don’t see the need to get a vaccine, a similar result to July (45%).
• DHB regions where the likelihood for respondents to accept a vaccine is lower than the national average include Northland, Bay of Plenty, Wairarapa and South Canterbury.

Making the decision to get a vaccine

• The things that would most influence respondents who were not yet vaccinated were:
  • helping protect the health of family/whānau
  • that the vaccine had been through extensive, properly conducted clinical trials
  • the benefits of vaccination outweighing any risks
  • helping reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and the prospect of further lockdowns and economic harm.
• In making the decision to get a vaccine, people continue to think about potential side effects, what might happen if they have an adverse reaction, how the vaccine might affect their health and that it is too soon to see if there are long-term side effects. They are also concerned about whether the vaccine will be effective against new variants.

Getting the vaccine

• Of those not yet vaccinated:
  • 30% would prefer to go for a vaccine on their own
  • 41% would like to able to go for a vaccine at the same time as other members of their whānau/family
  • 11% wanted at the same time as those for whom they provide care or support, regardless of the age of the members of their whānau/family, or the respondent’s age.
• Overall, 25% of respondents, not yet vaccinated, want to be vaccinated immediately.

Communication and information

• A number of findings about information sources changed markedly compared with July, with the move to Level 4 lockdown taking place a week before the survey began.
• People became more likely to seek out breaking news from mass media sources such as websites, TV, social media and online news sites. Sources of one-to-one communication (for example, about vaccination bookings) via text and email remained important but preference for these channels declined.
• August results showed a sharp increase in the top six sources of official information and advertising, led by social media (up 18%) and news websites (up 15%).
• Most respondents (95%) said they had seen an official COVID-19 information and vaccine advertisement in the 30 days leading up to taking the survey.
• Websites rose to 48% from 36% in July as the top place where respondents would prefer to get information on the COVID-19 vaccine, followed by TV News, email, social media and online news media.
• For those respondents who are not yet vaccinated and need more information, the main things they want to know continue to be information on side effects and risks and on the long-term effects of the vaccine based on longer and/or more clinical studies.

Ministry of Health Vaccine Research Insights are published on its web site.