How many in US want the COVID vaccine? Answer hinges on timing and politics, poll says

A majority of Americans said they would get the COVID-19 vaccine but their willingness depended on their political affiliation and timing, according to a poll released Monday.

More than eight in 10 respondents in an ABC News/Ipsos poll said they would get vaccinated, with 44% saying they would “wait a bit” to get it, and 40% saying they would get the vaccine as soon as it’s available. More than 15% said they would not get vaccinated.

The poll of 621 adults was conducted Dec. 12-13 and has a margin of error of 4.3 points.

The FDA granted emergency use authorization on Saturday for the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech. The first dose of the vaccine was given in New York on Monday and millions of doses are being distributed across the country, The New York Times reported.

Among the polls results

Who is willing to get vaccinated

• 65 and older: 93%, with 57% saying immediately and 36% saying they’ll wait
• Ages 18-29: 80%, with 30% saying as soon as possible and 50% saying they’ll wait

Republicans and the vaccine

• 28% said they would get the vaccine right away
• 26% said they would never get vaccinated
• 45% said they would wait to get vaccinated

Democrats and the vaccine

• 49% said they would get the vaccine right way
• 6% said they would never never get vaccinated
• 45% said they would wait to get vaccinated

Who should have top priority for getting vaccinated

• 91% said health care workers
• 87% said first responders
• 84% said those with pre-existing conditions
• 83% said those 65 and older
• 64% said teachers
• 56% said military

Who should have medium priority

• 48% said students
• 44% said average Americans like themselves
• 41% said elected officials

Who should have low priority

• 42% said elected officials
• 58% said athletes

There are more than 16 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and the country surpassed 300,000 deaths on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 3:30 PM with the headline "How many in US want the COVID vaccine? Answer hinges on timing and politics, poll says."