Fewer than 20% of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if President Trump says it is safe, survey finds
- In a new poll, only 19% of Americans said they were very likely or somewhat likely to get the coronavirus vaccine if President Trump says it is safe
- Comparatively, 62% said they would get the jab if their doctor says the jab is safe and 54% said they would receive it if the FDA says it is safe
- About half of respondents said they would be immunized if they were paid $100 or if they could get it at a drive-thru clinic
- Only 27% of Americans said they trust Trump to give them accurate information about COVID-19 while 47% said they trust Democratic rival Joe Biden
The majority of Americans say they would not get the first coronavirus vaccine that approved in the US if President Donald Trump says it is safe, a new poll suggests.
Conducted by Axios-Ipsos, the report found less than 20 percent said they are ‘very or somewhat likely’ to receive the jab against COVID-19 if was endorsed by the commander-in-chief.
That figure is much lower than other scenarios presented to the survey respondents.
More than twice as many people said they would be inoculated if the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the vaccine it is safe and three times as many said they would get the vaccine if their physician says it is safe.
The survey comes as many Americans fear the FDA is under political pressure by Trump to approve an immunization before the November 3 presidential election.
In a new poll, 62% said they were very likely or somewhat likely to get the coronavirus vaccine if their doctor says it is safe and 54% said they would receive it if the FDA says it is safe (above)
Only 19% of Americans said they would get the jab if President Trump says it is safe. Pictured: Trump gives an update on the nation’s Coronavirus Testing Strategy at the White House, September 28
There are more than 170 coronavirus vaccine candidates in various stages of development around the globe, according to the World Health Organization.
At least 10 are currently in large-scale trials in humans to prove the jabs are both safe and effective.
Earlier this month, it was revealed CDC officials told state health officials to be prepared to distribute a vaccine by late October or early November.
This has left many to fear that safety and efficacy regulations will be relaxed in order to get a vaccine on the market as soon as possible.
For the report, 1,075 US adults were surveyed between September 24, 2020 and September 27, 2020.
Respondents were given eight scenarios and asked how likely they were to receive the vaccine in each one.
Results showed that 62 percent said they were very or somewhat likely to get the vaccine if their doctor told them the jab is safe.
Fifty-six percent said they would receive the shot if their insurance covered the full cost and 52 percent said they would be immunized if the FDA said it is safe.
Exactly 50 percent said they would be inoculated if they could get the vaccine during a walk-in visit or at a drive-thru clinic and 44 percent said they would receive the vaccine if they were paid $100 to do so.
Only 37 percent said they would get the vaccine if they had to make an appointment and get it at a hospital while 26 percent said they would be receive the jab if they had to pay $100 out of their own pockets.
A mere 19 percent said they would receive the vaccine if Trump vouched for it.
Trust also fell across all aspects of the executive branch, according to the poll.
About half of respondents said they would be immunized if they were paid $100 or if they could get it at a drive-thru clinic. Pictured: A volunteer is injected with a vaccine as he participates in a coronavirus vaccination study in Hollywood, Florida, September 24
Only 28 percent said they trust the White House to provide them with accurate information about COVID-19 and only 27 percent say they trust Trump.
About 47 percent say they trust Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden to provide accurate information.
‘You don’t want to be the least credible on one of the primary issues of the day,’ said Cliff Young, president of Ipsos US Public Affairs, in a statement to Axios.
‘Not only is he not an expert, but he’s undermined his own credibility. He’s flip-flopped and twisted and spun things when it comes to the science around the virus.’
During the presidential debate on Tuesday, Trump assured that a vaccine is coming ‘very soon’ despite public health experts warning that a vaccine will not be available for mass distribution likely until summer 2021.
