Poll: Most Americans Dissatisfied With Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout
Topline
A majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the state of the country’s Covid-19 vaccination program, according to a Gallup poll conducted days after Trump left office and published Wednesday, while a record 71% of Americans now willing to be vaccinated.
two thirds of Americans are dissatisfied with the country’s vaccine rollout
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Key Facts
Two-thirds of Americans are dissatisfied with how the U.S. vaccination process is going, including 21% who are “very dissatisfied,” according to the poll.
During the survey’s period—Jan. 25-31—President Joe Biden worked to accelerate a sluggish, “dismal failure” of a vaccination drive he had inherited from former President Trump and addressed supply shortfalls by acquiring hundreds of millions of extra vaccine doses.
While dissatisfaction is prevalent, willingness to be vaccinated is at an all time high of 71% since Gallup began recording the measure in July.
Though sharp partisan differences remain, both Democrats and Republicans are at the most willing to be vaccinated since Gallup started measuring, with 91% of Democrats and 51% of Republicans willing to receive a shot.
Aside from partisan differences, Middle-aged Americans, Americans without college degrees and those with a household income lower than $90,000 a year are the least willing to be vaccinated, with many citing the rushed timeline (25%) and a general distrust of vaccines (16%) as reasons for their hesitancy.
Now that vaccines are being authorized for emergency use and being rolled out widely, far fewer Americans report concerns over the rushed timeline than when polled in December (a twelve point drop), though many still report a desire to wait and see how safe (22%) or effective (9%) the vaccines are.
Key Background
This poll covered the very early days of the Biden Administration, with much of the vaccine rollout a holdover from his predecessor. Biden has not spoken kindly of this effort, branding it a “dismal failure.” While Trump’s Operation Warp Speed was instrumental in shepherding two Covid-19 vaccines through the development and approval process, logistical and supply-chain failures—including damning reports that his administration turned down the opportunity to buy hundreds of millions of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine—left states short of doses and would-be-recipients unable to book vaccinations or stuck in long queues where they could. Trump blamed states for the failures and his efforts to address shortages directly, such as an executive order demanding Americans be prioritized for the Covid-19 vaccine, seemed more symbolic than practically useful.
Surprising Fact
The U.S. has only recently administered enough vaccine shots to meet Trump’s oft-touted goal of 20 million people vaccinated by the end of 2020 and around 1 in 10 Americans have received their first dose. However, only around 10 million have received two shots in order to be fully protected, according to CDC data.
Big Number
100 million. This is how many doses of vaccine President Joe Biden promised to deliver in his first 100 days as president. He has since adjusted his goal upwards, pushing for 1.5 million shots a day, a figure he is very close to achieving (it is currently at 1.48 million).
Further Reading
Two-Thirds of Americans Not Satisfied With Vaccine Rollout (Gallup)