Vaccine hesitance may still pose barrier in rural places

Research from the editor of The Daily Yonder uses a national Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted in November and December 2020 to identify differences in willingness to get vaccinated by place type. The paper reports that 35 percent of rural residents said they “probably” or “definitely” would not get a COVID-19 vaccine if it was free, safe, and effective. This compares with just 26 and 27 percent of urban and suburban residents, respectively. This place-based difference persisted even after controlling for political party, age, and education. Rural residents were also most likely to agree that the seriousness of COVID-19 is exaggerated in the news: 50 percent agreed, compared with 27 of urban residents and 37 percent of suburban residents. However, the author also notes that vaccine attitudes are not static, and that overall willingness has improved since the last time the poll was conducted in September. #covid-19 #rural