School of Medicine

People Can Change Their Minds About Vaccines

A new study paints an evolving picture of vaccination acceptance and hesitancy
A health care worker prepares to give a vaccination shot. A new Tufts study looked at the change in people’s attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine over the first few months of the year.

Vaccination behavior and attitudes among adults changed in the early months of this year, with more people reporting they intended to get vaccinated, according to a recent study by Kimberly Nguyen, an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, and collaborators.

The paper, published in Annals of Medicine, looked at data from January 6 to March 29 of 2021. While one of the most encouraging findings was that the percentage of Americans who had received at least one vaccine dose or definitely intended to get the jab increased from 54.7% to 72.3%, Nguyen still worries about the number of people who are still hesitant to get vaccinated.

According to the analysis, Non-Hispanic Black Americans and people who live in certain southeastern states are less likely to get vaccinated or intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Younger adults and people who are less educated or economically secure are also more reluctant to get vaccinated.

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Public Health and Community Medicine

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Faculty ,  Public Health ,  Research