Three in four Australians say they will get COVID-19 vaccination but national willingness trails other countries

A new survey from a leading independent researcher has revealed Australians’ view on the vaccine ahead of the national rollout this month.

Three in four Australians say they are willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, according to a new survey from a leading research group, with willingness to sign up for the jab soaring across the globe in recent months.

Access to the vaccine is expected to be available for older and vulnerable Australians this month, with health authorities hoping a nationwide rollout is completed in October.

But Aussies’ absolute willingness to put their arm forward to receive the vaccine is considerably behind other countries surveyed by the Ipsos study, which declared the early reluctance was associated with the rapid production of the jab as opposed to notorious conspiracy theories shared by figures such as Liberal MP Craig Kelly and celebrity chef Pete Evans.

“The early hesitancy we saw around the globe wasn’t being driven by the public buying into conspiracy theories,” Ipsos Australia director Jessica Elgood said.

“It was more likely to be reasonable, thoughtful people being hesitant because they didn’t know what they needed to know to make the right decision.”

Brazil and United Kingdom respondents, 68 and 66 per cent respectively, said they strongly agreed they would get the coronavirus jab if it were available immediately as opposed to 44 per cent among Australians.

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Australia trails a number of countries for absolute willingness to get the vaccine.

Of the 15 countries surveyed, Australia ranks seventh in terms of those most keen on getting the vaccine, while Japan ranks as the least, with just 17 per cent saying they will get it straight away.

The researcher said there had been a “remarkable increase” in positive attitudes towards the vaccine since December 20, particularly in nations where it is already available.

In the UK and Brazil, for example, willingness to get the vaccine surged 20 and 16 per cent respectively over that period.

Ms Elgood said the respondents revealed concerns at the speed at which vaccines had been created and approved and the possible unknown short-term and long-term health impacts.

“For the more cautious among us this was an honest, logical reaction to an information and experience deficit,” she said. “We simply didn’t know what we needed to know to make the decision to get vaccinated.”

The vaccine will be available in Australia from this month. Picture: Oliver Bunic/AFP

On Monday, the Scott Morrison again refused to condemn Mr Kelly’s prolific sharing of wild claims about COVID-19 that health experts say is misinformation.

The Prime Minister laughed off the issue, declaring Mr Kelly “is not my doctor”.

But the Ipsos researcher said health authorities recognised the buy-in from Australians to get vaccinated was no laughing matter.

“With the federal government launching a new advertising campaign last week, we can see that they understand where much of our hesitancy is coming from, and they are seeking to reassure the public that the vaccines are safe and effective,” Ms Elgood said.

Vaccine experts share a different view, however, fearing Mr Kelly’s spruiking, echoed by fellow MP George Christensen and Mr Evans, pose a serious threat to the rollout of the jab in Australia.

“It’s appalling, it really is,” Immunisation Coalition chief executive Kim Sampson told NCA NewsWire last month.

“He (Craig Kelly) should be pulled into shape, it’s just totally unacceptable for somebody with a national voice to be putting out that kind of misleading and abhorrent information.

“It shocks me when I read that kind of stuff, and I really believe our prime minister needs to step up and put Craig Kelly in his place.

“Craig Kelly is saying some terrible things, and there are other high-profile people that are saying things that are so destructive and counter-productive.”