Nearly a Quarter of Vaccinated Adults Received a COVID-19 Booster Shot, Up Sharply from October; Most Other Vaccinated Adults Expect to Get a Booster, Though About 1 in 5 Say They Likely Won’t

The public is now less optimistic and frustrated with the vaccination status than it was in January

Almost a quarter (23%) of fully vaccinated adults have already received a COVID-19 booster, more than twice as much as in October (10%), according to the latest report from the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor.

Most other vaccinated adults say they will definitely (37%) or likely (19%) receive a recommended booster, while around a fifth say they probably (10%) or definitely (8%) will not .

The survey was conducted November 8-22, during a time when booster shots were a regular feature of the news. On November 19, federal agencies qualified all vaccinated adults for a booster vaccination. After the field phase, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines Monday urging all vaccinated adults to receive a booster dose. There was also news about the new omicron variant last week after the field phase.

The report shows that more than half, but not all, fully vaccinated adults of all races and ethnic groups, ages, and political identities either receive a booster vaccination or are likely to receive it once it is eligible six months after their primary vaccination. If anyone expected to receive a booster at this point persevered, 53% of adults would receive a booster. CDC guidelines, issued Monday encouraging all vaccinated adults to receive a booster dose, and the threat of the Omicron variant may increase the proportion of the public wanting a booster dose above these levels.

About a third (33%) of fully vaccinated older adults (50 years and older), or a quarter (25%) of all adults in this age group, say they have had a booster vaccination, including similar proportions of older whites and blacks and Hispanic adults. People in this age group were among the first to be eligible and were encouraged to receive booster injections.

Among Partisans, a higher proportion of vaccinated Democrats report having a booster vaccination (32%) compared to Independents (21%) and Republicans (18%), reflecting Democrats' wider enthusiasm for vaccination. Almost a third of Republicans vaccinated say they will definitely or probably not get a booster dose (31%).

A third of the employees at employers with at least 100 employees state that they have to be vaccinated

The report also looks at workers' views and experiences of vaccine requirements in the workplace in view of a Biden administration policy requiring employers with at least 100 workers to require their workers to have a COVID-19 vaccine or get tested weekly for the virus.

While a federal appeals court has put this policy on hold, a majority of workers in such companies say they have already faced such a requirement (36%) or would like their employer to impose one (17%). Fewer (41%) say that their employer does not need a vaccine now and they do not want such a requirement.

Employees in smaller companies whose employers would not be subject to federal policy are much less likely to state that they already have a compulsory vaccination (11%) or want to have a vaccination obligation (20%).

The public is generally divided about the policies of the Biden government, with slightly more saying they support (52%) than disagree (45%) with the federal government, which requires large employers to mandate vaccines or weekly tests.

Most unvaccinated adults (79%) and Republicans (79%) oppose the policy, while most vaccinated adults (65%) and Democrats (86%) are in favor. Independents are divided (48% for, 50% against).

The public is now less optimistic and frustrated with the vaccination status than it was in January

Before there is any news about the Omicron variant, the report captures the public's mounting frustration and declining optimism about the state of COVID-19 vaccinations across the country.

Most (58%) of the public now say they feel “frustrated” compared to January (50%) when the nation started its mass vaccination campaigns. Now half (48%) say they are “optimistic” compared to two thirds (66%). The shifts largely reflect higher frustration and lower optimism among Republicans and, to a lesser extent, among Independents.

When asked about President Biden's handling of the pandemic, the public is divided – with similar proportions saying they agree (44%) and disagree (48%). A larger proportion of Independents oppose (52%) than agree (39%), while Democrats overwhelmingly agree (83%) and Republicans overwhelmingly oppose (88%).

No movement in the proportion of the population who received at least one initial vaccination dose

Despite the enthusiasm for booster vaccinations among those already vaccinated, the report shows no significant change in the proportion of adults receiving a primary vaccination. 73% say they did, virtually unchanged since September (72%).

Another 2% say they plan to get vaccinated "ASAP," and 6% say they want to "wait and see" how it works for others before they get it. Others are more cautious and either say they would get it “only when needed” (3%) for work, school or for other reasons, or “definitely not” (14%).

While the majority of all demographics have received a COVID-19 vaccine, a quarter of Republicans (26%), White Evangelicals (25%), and those without health insurance (25%) continue to say they "definitely don't" Vaccine will get Covid19 vaccination. There are also gaps in vaccine uptake between college graduates and those without a college degree (83% versus 68%) and between age groups, with people 65 and older being more likely to be vaccinated than adults under 30 (89% versus). 67%).

Of women who are pregnant or planning to conceive, less than two-thirds (64%) received a vaccine dose, compared with nearly three-quarters (73%) in women of the same age who are not pregnant or who are planning to conceive. This may reflect concerns about the impact of the vaccine on pregnancy, as less than half (39%) of women who are pregnant or planning to conceive believe that the vaccines are safe for pregnant women.

The report also notes:

• More than half (53%) of adults say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental health, including 21% who say it has had a major negative impact. More women (58%) than men (47%) report negative effects, as do more adults under 30 (64%) than adults over 65 (37%).

• When asked about the economic impact of the pandemic, 43% said it had become more difficult for them to pay for basic needs such as housing, utilities and food. This includes most Black (56%) and Hispanic (52%) adults, and most people with a household income of less than $ 40,000 a year (56%).

About half of adults say the government didn't do enough to help small businesses (48%) and low-income people (48%) during the pandemic. Almost as many say the same thing about blacks (41%), rural residents (41%), and Hispanics (39%). Small proportions say the government hasn't done enough to help people like them (32%), whites (26%), and big corporations (18%).

The KFF Vaccine Monitor Survey, designed and analyzed by pollsters at KFF, was carried out from November 8th to 22nd among a nationwide representative sample of 1,820 adults. The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish on landlines (192) and mobile phones (1,628). The sampling error margin for the entire sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Results based on subgroups may have a higher rate of sampling error.

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, trustworthy messengers and messages, and the public's experience of vaccines.