Overall vaccine uptake potential rises to 80%

Overall potential uptake of COVID-19 vaccine by people aged 16 or older in New Zealand has risen to 80%.

The result is from a Horizon Research survey, conducted for the Ministry of Health in association with Auckland University's School of Population Health. The online survey was of 1,234 respondents, representing the 16+ population, between 28 and 30 May 2021.

It is the sixth tracking survey conducted since September 2020.

Key survey insights include:

Accepting a vaccine

• 77% of respondents not already vaccinated said they were likely to get vaccine.
• Overall potential uptake, including those already vaccinated and those who are likely to get a vaccine, has increased to 80%, up from 77% in April and 69% in March.
• Overall, 3,263,300 out of the estimated 4,082,500 New Zealanders aged 16+ say they are likely to get vaccinated or have already been vaccinated.
• Māori potential uptake, including those already vaccinated and those who are likely to get a vaccine, is now at 75%, up from 71% in April 2021.
• Pasifika potential uptake, including those already vaccinated and those who are likely to get a vaccine, is steady at 78%, similar to 79% in April 2021, but up from 59% in March 2021.
• If the vaccine is made available for 12 to 15-year olds, 55% of caregivers are likely to allow the children they care for to be vaccinated. 

Barriers to uptake

• Those who are unlikely to have a vaccine if offered remains steady at 13% (12% in April 2021). Of those, 7% will “definitely not” get a vaccine. Note that it is likely that, as the number vaccinated increases, those who are unlikely to get a vaccine will form a higher proportion of those who have not yet been vaccinated.
• The highest percentage of respondents unlikely to get vaccinated are in Group 4, at 16%, with another 9% unsure. Those aged 45-54 years are the least likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
• The main reasons for being unsure or unlikely to get a vaccine continues to be concerns about long-term effects, safety and waiting to see if others have side-effects.
• 55% of respondents who will ‘definitely not’ get a vaccine say they don’t see the need to get a vaccine.
• If the vaccine is made available for 12 to 15-year olds, 16% of caregivers will ‘definitely not’ allow the children they care for to be vaccinated, up from 10% in April. The main reason for this is needing to be assured about vaccine safety for children.
• Respondents who identified as disabled are more likely to reject getting vaccinated now (13%) than in April (8%), but are less likely to now be unsure (7% compared with 23% in April).
• Respondents who identified as disabled said the reason they were unsure or unlikely to get a vaccine were:
  • they don't see the need to take a COVID-19 vaccine (54 compared with 21% overall)
  • they don’t trust any vaccine (31 compared with 18% overall)
  • they don’t take any vaccine (27 compared with 8% overall)
  • because of religious beliefs (23 compared with 4% overall).
• DHB regions where the likelihood for respondents to accept a vaccine is lower than the national average include Waikato, Northland, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay,  and South Canterbury. (Hawke’s Bay, Tairawhiti, Taranaki and South Canterbury DHB sample sizes were less than 50, in line with their population proportion, so results are less statistically reliable and should be treated as an indication only.)

Making the decision to get a vaccine

• 56% of respondents say that helping to protect all New Zealanders is a key reason that will influence them to get a vaccine.
• 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 will affect their health and that it is too soon see if there are long-term side effects.
• People who are unlikely to get a vaccine or unsure will be influenced by information about side effects, knowing the vaccine has been through extensive trials and approved by Medsafe, and, to some extent, helping them to travel internationally.
• As with the last report, people who live with impairments or long-term health conditions and those who identify as disabled were more concerned than average about whether the vaccine will adversely affect their existing medical conditions and symptoms, and whether it will leave their health worse overall. 
• Those who identify as disabled continue to be more worried than average that there will be unknown side effects and, particularly, how the side-effects may affect them.
• Under 18-year-olds and people aged 45 to 54 have a higher level of concern about the vaccine compared with other age ranges, and are concerned about side effects, how the vaccine will affect their health, what might happen if they have a reaction and long-term effects. 

Getting the vaccine

• Respondents would prefer to get a vaccine from their doctor (68%), a practice nurse (39%) or a ‘pop up’ clinic (35%).
• 30% of respondents believe they will be able to get vaccinated as soon the rollout for their group begins.
• 53% of respondents believe the vaccine rollout timing will depend on the supply of the vaccine to New Zealand.
• 44% of respondents believe the rollout programme may be different in different DHBs.
• A quarter of respondents think the Ministry of Health is deciding how the rollout will happen in their region; a third think their DHB will.
• 44% of respondents in Group 3 said they did not know how they would be offered a vaccine and 29% were not sure.
• 50% of respondents in Group 3 said they did not know when they would be offered a vaccine and 26% were not sure.

Influencing uptake

• 99% of respondents who have already been vaccinated are prepared to recommend getting vaccinated to people they know, and 75% will “recommend it to everyone”.
• 34% of those who know someone who has been vaccinated (57% of total respondents) say that knowing someone who has had a COVID-19 vaccine makes them more inclined to do so themselves; 56% said it wouldn’t influence their decision. 
• As with the last report, those who live with impairments or long-term health conditions and those who identify as disabled are more likely than average to respond to a personal conversation with a health provider they trust when it comes to influencing their decision.

Confidence in and knowledge about the vaccine

• 77% of respondents believe people in New Zealand can choose whether or not to get vaccinated.
• 72% of respondents believe people who have been vaccinated can still catch COVID-19, up from 57% in April.
• Three-quarters believe they will need to continue with protective behaviours after being vaccinated.
• Over the last three months, there has been an increase in the belief that people who have been vaccinated can still pass on COVID-19 to others, up to 54% from 44% in April and 40% in March. 32% currently are unsure.
• Respondents who are vaccinated are more likely to believe that they could still pass on the COVID-19 virus to others (72%).

Communication and information 

• The number of people who feel like they have all the information they need before deciding whether or not to get a vaccine has increased to 67% from 58% in April (56% in February and March).
• Of those who have already received a vaccine, 92% felt they received enough information about their vaccination, slightly lower than 97% in April.
• The two main things respondents want more information about are side effects and risks (27%) and the long-term effects of the vaccine, based on longer and/or more clinical studies (16%).
• Respondents want more information on the logistics of how they will get their vaccine, to know that the information they receive is honest, more detailed content and more information on side effects. 
• Television (59%) is the primary place where respondents have seen official COVID-19 information advertising, in the past 30 days, followed by social media (20%) and radio (19%).