Essential Workers Employed Outside Health Care are Less Enthusiastic about Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine than Other Adults

There is little research into how key non-healthcare workers have been affected by the pandemic, as well as their views and experiences with COVID-19 vaccines. The latest report from the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor finds that this group of workers – about 3 in 10 adults who had to work outside of their homes during the pandemic – are less enthusiastic about the vaccination than other adults.

By mid-March, nearly half (48%) of non-healthcare workers reported having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or receiving a vaccine as soon as possible – less than the proportion of those who received it Work from home (69%) and among non-work adults (67%). Non-healthcare workers are also more likely than those who work from home to report that they receive the vaccine “only when needed” (11% vs. 3%) or that they are “definitely not” vaccinated (21% vs. 7%).

These differences in enthusiasm partly reflect the underlying demographics of the two groups.

Compared to employed adults who work from home, those who identify as essential workers are less likely to have a college degree (26% vs. 59%) and more likely to identify as Republican or Republican-oriented independents (39% vs. 26%) ). ). People without college degrees and those who are generally Republicans or slim Republicans are more likely to be resistant to a vaccine than their counterparts, although even after considering these and other demographics, significant workers are more likely than other adults to say they won't be vaccinated .

Among the top workers who have not yet been vaccinated or who plan to do so as soon as possible, two-thirds (66%) say they are worried about serious side effects and around half (53%) fear they might Must miss work if they experience vaccine side effects.

The analysis found that employers could incentivize some of these workers to receive a vaccine. Roughly one in five says they are more likely to be vaccinated if their employer causes a healthcare provider to give the vaccine at work (23%), or if their employer offers to give them an additional $ 50 (19%) or Paying 200 USD (22%) to be vaccinated.

Overall, most non-healthcare workers (57%) say employers should not be allowed to require their workers to be vaccinated, compared to 42% of workers in other types of non-healthcare professions.

The topic is divided according to party-political standards. Among non-health workers, those who predominantly identify as Republicans or are so slim that employers shouldn't be allowed to vaccinate their workers (79%), while two-thirds (65%) of Democrats and Democrats say that they should be vaccinated to be able to do so.

The KFF Vaccine Monitor survey, designed and analyzed by KFF public pollsters, was conducted March 15-22 among a nationwide representative sample of 1,862 adults with random dial choices, including an over-sample of adults who were black (490) or Spanish (476 ) are. . The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (356) and mobile phone (1,506). The margin of error in the sample is plus or minus 6 percentage points for results based on the sample of 477 material workers. Results based on subgroups may have a higher sampling error rate.

The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project that tracks public attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research, this project tracks the dynamics of public opinion during the development and diffusion of vaccines, including the trust and acceptance of vaccines, the need for information, trusted ambassadors and messages, and the public's experience with vaccines.