Vaccine hesitancy declines slightly

• Published date: 26 May 2022
• Publication title: South African Official News

A University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) COVID-19 Democracy Survey has found that vaccine hesitancy declined slightly from 28% in July 2021 to 25% in November 2021.

The online survey, which was a partnership between UJ and the HSRC, was conducted using the data-free Moya Messenger app, which has six million subscribers and 800 000 users per day.

Presenting the findings from the survey, Yamkela Majikijela, PhD research trainee at the HSRC, said the survey focused on the latest data research, titled 'Round 4" (undertaken between 25 June and 20 July 2021) and 'Round 5' (undertaken between 22 October and 17 November 2021).

Majikijela was speaking during a webinar on COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy, led by Deputy Minister in Presidency, Pinky Kekana, with the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, as one of the panellists.

She said by mid-2021, 10% of prople were vaccinated and 61% were favourable (total = 71% accepting), with hesitancy at 28%.

'In Oct/Nov 2021 in Round 5, 36% were vaccinated and 38% favourable (total = 74% accepting), with 25% hesitant.

'Results show that the 'accepting' are increasingly getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but a large share of this group remain unvaccinated,' she said.

Majikijela said the share that is hesitant declined only marginally during 2021.

Looking at vaccine acceptance and hesitancy by demographics, the survey showed that the 18 - 34 age group was more hesitant compared to other age groups.

In terms of gender, females were more hesitant compared to males. Meanwhile on population group, the levels of hesitancy within white people remain higher than among black African or Indian and Asian adults.

Self-reported explanations for vaccine hesitancy include the following:

Explanations that are concerned with the general effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, excluding side effects.

Explanations concerned with side-effects.

Lack of trust in the vaccine or with government or other institutions.

Religious objection explanations that provide a religious reason for being unwilling to vaccinate.

Explanations that doubt the existence of COVID-19 or attribute the virus and/or vaccine to powerful groups with vested interests.

Express the belief that the individual is not at risk of COVID-19.

A preference for alternative treatments for COVID-19, including other drugs and/or traditional medicines, such as umhlonyane.

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