‘Most of anti-vaxxers jabbed, vaccine confidence spiked among BAMEs’

HALF of all anti-vaxxers in the UK are now jabbed while vaccine confidence has surged among ethnic minorities, a study has found, with numbers tripling among the Muslim community in the country.

While people's hesitancy has waned since the Covid-19 vaccine rollout began six months ago, the confidence has doubled in ethnic minorities, from 36 per cent saying they were ‘certain’ or ‘very likely’ to get jabbed in November-December to 72 per cent who are now saying they are ‘likely to do so’ or ‘already had a jab’, a study by King's College London and the University of Bristol says. The confidence has tripled in Muslims over the same period, from 23 per cent to 67 per cent.

Some 52 per cent of people who said they would not get the vaccine when asked in November and December 2020 are now jabbed while 84 per cent of people who said they were “not very” or “not at all likely” to accept Covid-19 vaccine when asked last year have since been vaccinated, as per the research.

Overall, 94 per cent of those surveyed have taken up the shot when offered.

Dr Siobhan McAndrew, senior lecturer in quantitative social science at the University of Bristol, said that high rates accepting the invitation to take up a vaccine are extremely encouraging.

“There is an apparently large difference in intention to get vaccinated between religious groups, with Muslims, in particular, standing out - but when we control for characteristics associated with religion, such as ethnicity, immigration status, social class and age, these differences are much reduced, suggesting that it's not religious belief in itself that's the driver.”

Researchers surveyed 4,896 UK adults aged 18 to 75 between April 1 and 16 this year, and tracked 1,879 people surveyed last year to see if and why their views had changed. They found that, overall, the public is more likely to say they will get a Covid vaccine than they were last year.

McAndrew pointed out “concrete benefits of being vaccinated in terms of being able to travel and to see family and friends again” as one of the main driving force behind the change of heart along with “social proof.”

“The first people to be vaccinated were the oldest generations, who have a strong sense of civic obligation, and they helped set the norm that you should take up your vaccine when it is your turn", said McAndrew, adding that the confidence of people who were in the wait-and-watch mode in December last year has been “strengthened by the evidence that the vaccine is safe and effective”.