01 March 2021
Go to release: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey February 2021: Vaccination Attitudes and Holiday Expectations
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (01 March 2021) published some of the results of the fifth round of the Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey. The primary topic covered in this publication is Vaccination Attitudes and Holiday Expectations in 2021. On 25 February 2021, the CSO published results from this survey which focused on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Well-being and on 26 February 2021 additional results were published that focused on the Impact of School Closures on students’ learning and social development.
Commenting on the results, Statistician, Claire Burke said: “The findings of the survey highlight the impact that COVID-19 is having on society.
Vaccine Attitudes
Respondents who had not yet received the vaccine were asked would they get vaccinated next week if it were possible to do so. Almost nine in ten (87.0%) said ‘Yes’. Male respondents were more likely to report that they would take the vaccine next week (92.5% compared with 81.6% of female respondents).
Older respondents, those aged 70 years and over, were mostly likely (96.1%) to report that they would take the vaccine next week. Respondents aged 35-44 were least likely (76.7%) to want to get the vaccine next week.
Of respondents who had not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine 5.4% said they ‘Do not want to get the vaccine’. Female respondents were four times more likely to say they ‘Do not want to get the vaccine’ (8.7% compared with 2.1% of male respondents). Respondents that ‘Do not want to get the vaccine’ were asked the reasons why: two in three (66.2%) of these respondents said they are ‘Worried about long-term side effects’, one in five (20.5%) believe the vaccine would not protect them from COVID-19; while more than one in six (17.3%) were ‘Worried about short-term side effects’.
Almost one in two (46.3%) respondents who want to get vaccinated said they were ‘Very’ or ‘Extremely’ worried about having a long wait before getting vaccinated. Just over one in five (21.3%) respondents that have or want to receive the vaccine said they were ‘Very’ or ‘Extremely’ concerned about the length of time the vaccine will protect them from the COVID-19 virus. Similar proportions were ‘Very’ or ‘Extremely’ concerned about the effectiveness of the vaccine against different strains of the virus (20.7%). Other concerns included vaccinated individuals spreading COVID-19 to individuals not yet vaccinated (20.5%), different levels of effectiveness between vaccines (19.1%) and long-term side effects (18.2%).
Female respondents were more likely to report being ‘Very’ or ‘Extremely’ concerned about all aspects of the vaccine compared with male respondents. For example, almost one in four (24.4%) female respondents were ‘Very’ or ‘Extremely’ concerned about different levels of effectiveness between vaccines compared with 13.9% of male respondents. More than one in five (22.6%) female respondents reported being ‘Very’ or ‘Extremely’ concerned about long-term side effects (compared with 14.0% of male respondents), the effectiveness against different strains of the virus (24.6% compared with 17.0% of male respondents) and vaccinated individuals spreading COVID-19 to individuals not yet vaccinated (23.8% compared with 17.3% of male respondents).
International Travel and Holiday expectations in 2021
In November 2020, more than one in two (50.6%) respondents anticipated their next international flight would be sometime in 2021. In February 2021, this expectation was reported by less than one in six (15.8%) respondents.
More respondents (39.4%) reported they intend to take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland of at least one week’s duration in 2021 compared with the proportion of respondents that said they took such a holiday in a typical year prior to the onset of COVID-19 (30.9%).
Almost, three in four (73.3%) respondents reported that, in a typical year prior to the onset of COVID-19, they would take a holiday overseas (including short breaks). Less than one in six (15.9%) of respondents reported that they intend to holiday overseas in 2021.
Analysis by age shows that respondents aged 35-44 were most likely (45.3%) to report they intend to take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland (of at least one week’s duration) and were also the most likely (17.4%) to report they intend to take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration) in 2021.
More than one in four (25.8%) respondents reported they will not take a holiday in 2021, compared with one in nine (11.2%) that would normally not take a holiday in a typical year before the onset of COVID-19.”
The Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey published today utilised an online electronic questionnaire to produce a final achieved sample size of 1,621 individuals. Due to public health guidelines regarding COVID-19, our interviewers no longer conduct CSO household surveys in the sampled households' own homes. Sample households now receive introductory letters by post asking them to ring the CSO to schedule an interview which is conducted over the phone. These surveys give us a picture of the economic and social situation of the citizens of Ireland, with a level of accuracy no one else can gain. If you are asked to take part in a CSO survey, please do so. It means that when CSO figures are quoted you know they’re accurate, Because you told us.
Further details on the methodology can be found in the Background Notes
Claire Burke (+353) 21 453 5046 or Gerry Reilly (+353) 21 453 5700
or email ICW@CSO.ie
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