More than 50% of South Africans say they are unlikely to try to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and almost as many believe prayer offers better protection than a jab, according to a survey released on Wednesday by research network Afrobarometer.
The results may offer some insight into why registration rates and take-up of the vaccine have been lower than anticipated in some communities, despite the coronavirus cases and deaths reported.
By Tuesday, SA had registered 2.39-million cases and more than 70,000 fatalities, a figure widely acknowledged to underrepresent the true scale of deaths due to Covid-19. The Medical Research Council has estimated the number is about triple the official figure.
Afrobarometer’s partners, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) and Plus 94 Research, conducted the survey in May and June. Interviews were conducted with 1,600 respondents, and the results were nationally representative, said IJR researcher Mikhail Moosa. The survey period coincided with the start of the government’s mass vaccination drive on May 17.
More than half of the respondents said they were either very unlikely (42%) or somewhat unlikely (12%) to try to get vaccinated against Covid-19, with just 46% indicating a willingness to seek a jab.
The findings stand in marked contrast to several other surveys that reported higher levels of vaccine acceptance. They range from 76% reported in the fifth round of the Nids-Cram survey (conducted in April and May), and 67% reported by the Human Sciences Research Council Covid-19 Democracy survey conducted in December 2020 and January 2021.
Moosa cautioned against direct comparison between the surveys, noting differences in methodology and the framing of questions.
Afrobarometer survey respondents expressed low trust in government statistics on Covid-19 and little confidence in the state’s ability to ensure vaccines were safe and effective. A little more than a quarter of respondents (28%) said they trusted the government “somewhat” or “a lot” to ensure the safety of Covid-19 vaccines. Seven in 10 said they had “just a little” (27%) or no trust at all (43%) in its capacity to do so. Older people, men, less-educated people and rural respondents indicated a greater willingness to receive a jab than younger, more educated, female and urban residents.
The health department’s deputy director-general for National Health Insurance, Nicholas Crisp, said it was difficult to interpret the survey findings without having seen the details of how its sample was constructed. “What we do know is confidence comes later if we build a credible response.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.