Young Adult Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccinations
- PMID: 34274212
- PMCID: PMC8277980
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.06.003
Young Adult Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccinations
Abstract
Purpose: Young adults have the highest cumulative incidence of COVID-19 infection in the country. Using March 2021 Household Pulse Survey data, an ongoing, cross-sectional nationally representative survey, we examined U.S. young adult intention to accept COVID-19 vaccines.
Methods: Young adult (ages 18-25 years) Household Pulse Survey participants were queried on intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and related perspectives (N = 5,082).
Results: Most unvaccinated respondents (76%) indicated an intention to become vaccinated. The most frequently cited reasons for potentially rejecting vaccination included desire to wait and see if the vaccine is safe (56%); concerns over side effects (53%); and believing others are in greater need of the vaccine (44%).
Conclusions: With 24% of young adults hesitant to accept a COVID-19 vaccine, public health interventions should target reasons for hesitancy, address concerns about safety and side effects, and underscore the importance of vaccinations for this population.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccine; COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy; Vaccine; Vaccine hesitancy; Vaccine intention; Young adult.
Copyright © 2021 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
References
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- U.S. Food & Drug Administration Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine web site. https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-dise... Available at: