One in five say they are unlikely to have a coronavirus vaccine

One in five people say they are unlikely to be vaccinated against Covid-19 amid "concerning" levels of misinformation among the general public, researchers have warned.

University College London (UCL) has been tracking the attitudes of more than 70,000 people during the coronavirus pandemic to see how their views are changing.

The Covid-19 Social Study discovered that only half of respondents are "very likely" to be vaccinated, while 22 per cent say they are "unlikely" and 10 per cent "very unlikely".

More than half of respondents said they believed vaccines can cause unforeseen events, while one third had "substantial beliefs" that jabs may cause future problems in both adults and children.

Around one in seven people believe vaccines do not work (the video below shows the scenes at a weekend protest against vaccines in London).

The study's lead author, Dr Daisy Fancourt, said: "Our study highlights a concerning level of misinformation around vaccines, which could significantly affect uptake once a Covid-19 vaccine is approved.

"Whilst the majority of people have said they are likely to get a Covid-19 vaccine once one is available, a worrying amount of respondents have said that not only will they not get the vaccine but also that they don't believe vaccines work or worry about potential side-effects – concerns that lack any basis in fact.

"It is critical that the Government and public health bodies publicise the importance of getting a vaccination and explain why it will be critical in fighting the virus and protecting society."

This week, Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser said a vaccine could be available before Christmas, although he added that next year was more likely.

The Oxford University and Chinese teams (see the graphic below) are the furthest ahead so far, and several pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and GSK, are already making millions of doses that could be rolled out immediately if trials are successful. 

However the new survey suggests that, even when a jab is available, a substantial number of people may refuse to be vaccinated, which could cause problems with building herd immunity in the population.

The study found that a quarter of people believe vaccines are used for commercial profiteering. It also discovered that older people in particular were more likely to have the flu jab than a coronavirus vaccine. Nearly three-quarters of older adults said they would get the flu vaccine, compared to just 58 per cent for the Covid-19 innoculation.

Cheryl Lloyd, the education programme head at the Nuffield Foundation, said: "Given people's reasons for distrust of vaccines, transparency about the scientific evidence and the role of commercial providers is likely to be a key factor in gaining public trust, as is involving the public in the decision-making process."