About 8 % of American adults reported they had received a COVID-19 vaccination and around half of adults who haven’t (51 %) indicated they would definitely get a vaccine, while an additional 26 % said they probably would, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released this week.

The latest revision to Phase 3 of the Household Pulse Survey was implemented on Jan. 6, 2021, and included a new series of questions about COVID-19 vaccinations and attitudes toward the vaccines.

This article is based on analysis of Phase 3 data collected Jan. 6 through Jan. 18, a time period in which the Census Bureau sent invitations to 1,037,972 households and received a total of 68,348 responses.

This content was added in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on survey self-reports, these data may differ from other administrative information, particularly those collected during different time periods.

The new vaccination series asks respondents if they had received a COVID-19 vaccination.

Those who had are then asked if they plan to receive all required doses.

Adults who have not been vaccinated are asked if they plan to get a vaccine once available.

Respondents who express uncertainty are asked the reason(s) for their reluctance.

These data show:

About 95 % of the estimated 19 million who reported receiving a COVID-19 vaccination said they had received or plan to receive all required doses.

Around half (51 %) of the approximately 226 million adults yet to receive a vaccination said they “definitely” plan to receive it when available.

An additional 26 % of adults yet to be vaccinated reported they would “probably” get a vaccine once available, compared to approximately 14 % who said they would “probably not,” and 10 % who said they would “definitely not” get vaccinated.

Overall, these results indicate that around a quarter of all unvaccinated adults will probably not, or will definitely not, receive a COVID-19 vaccine once one is available to them.

Age Factors

During this initial collection period, the reported likelihood of eventually receiving a COVID-19 vaccination once available varied by age and older adults appear to be more certain they want to get vaccinated.

While about 71 % of adults ages 65 and over reported they would “definitely” get a vaccine once available, around half (51 %) of those ages 45-64 said the same.

Meanwhile, among those ages 30-44 and 18-29, only 41 % indicated they would “definitely” get a vaccine once available (The percentages for these two youngest age groups were not statistically different.)

Racial Differences

The reported likelihood of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination once available also varied by Hispanic origin and race.

About two-thirds of unvaccinated non-Hispanic Asian adults indicated they would “definitely” get a vaccine once available, compared to around 56 % of non-Hispanic Whites.

In contrast, only about 47 % of Hispanics, 37% of non-Hispanics of other races or two or more races, and 30 % of non-Hispanic Blacks said they would “definitely” get a vaccine once available.

Health Insurance Coverage

Attitudes about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine also varied according to health insurance status.

Those without insurance were less likely to say they would get vaccinated.

Among the unvaccinated, over half (56 %) of insured adults and 34 % of uninsured adults said they would “definitely” get a vaccine when available.

Respondents who indicated uncertainty about receiving a vaccination (49 % ) were also asked the reason(s) for their reluctance.

The most frequently selected answers included:

Concern about possible side effects (51 %) and plans to wait to see if the vaccines are safe (50 %). The percentages for these two reasons were not statistically different.

Feeling that other people might need the vaccine more right now (28 % ).

It should be noted that respondents could provide more than one response to this question.

Allrespondents were also asked whether they had received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis from a medical professional; around 14 % indicated they had.

As more Americans are vaccinated, Household Pulse Survey data will allow for meaningful analysis of demographic differences in vaccination rates and positive COVID-19 diagnoses. Additional information about the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered is available from the CDC.

The estimates in this analysis are based on survey self-reports from a specific time period and may not align with published counts generated from other sources.