“From our most recent survey, we saw that just over 50% of respondents answered “No” to a direct question on whether they were willing to get the vaccine when it became available,” says Matt Kloos, CFO of CompariSure.
Perhaps sentiment will shift as vaccine rollouts continue around the world, especially if certain inoculated countries are able to eradicate the pandemic, but for now South Africans remain very sceptical.
When asked why they were unwilling to get a vaccine, 34% of users cited “Side effects” as their main concern. Other commonly stated reasons for rejecting the jab included “Religion” (13%) and “Cost/price” (16%), with approximately 40% of respondents stating “Other”, with reasons like “fear of needles” and “government tracking” being supplied.