Older Americans Growing More Comfortable With Coronavirus Vaccine

A survey of 1,611 U.S. adults by the Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis at Long Island University determined that older Americans' willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 has doubled since an October poll, reports AARP . The Center's Andy Person said this signals "a considerable positive shift during the past two months in the way Americans are thinking about the vaccine. It suggests that more Americans are optimistic and hopeful that the vaccine is safe and effective." The survey estimated that 76 percent of people 60 and older want to get the shots and 46 percent would get them as soon as they become available. Moreover, 11 percent of age 60-plus respondents said they wanted to get the shots within a few weeks of availability and another 7 percent within a month, while 12 percent said they would wait longer. Only 14 percent refused to get immunized, while 10 percent were uncertain or did not answer. Forty-one percent of Americans 60 and older expect shots will be widely available by spring, while 31 percent expect wide availability by summer, and 17 percent by fall.