Source: Central Statistics Office

ALMOST NINE IN 10 people would go and get vaccinated for Covid-19 next week if it was available, according to new data released by the Central Statistics Office.

A total of 1,621 people were surveyed by the CSO as part of the fifth round of surveying for the Social Impact of Covid-19.

Males were more likely to say they would get the vaccine next week if possible (92.5%), compared to female respondents (81.6%).

Older respondents, over the age of 70, were the most likely to get the vaccine (96.1%) next week, compared to respondents between 35-44 who were least likely (76.7%).

Only 5.4% of respondents who have not yet gotten the vaccine said they did not want to get it. 

The most-reported concern of those who had not yet been vaccinated was around how long they would have to wait before being vaccinated, with 46.3% saying they were very or extremely concerned about the wait.

One in five (21.3%) of respondents who either have or want the vaccine were very or extremely concerned about how long the Covid-19 vaccine would protect them. A similar proportion (20.7%) were either very or extremely concerned about vaccine effectiveness against different strains of Covid-19

According to the survey, female respondents were more likely to report being very or extremely concerned about aspects of the vaccines compared to male respondents. one in four (24.4%) of female respondents were very or extremely concerned about different levels of vaccine effectiveness compared to just 13.9% of males.

Just over one in five (22.6%) females said that they were either very or extremely concerned about long-term side effects from Covid-19 vaccines. This compares to 14% of male respondents.

International travel

In November 2020, just over half of all respondents (50.6%) said that they anticipated their next international flight would be in 2021. In February, this dropped dramatically to less than one in six people (15.8%).
39.4% of respondents said that they would intend on taking holiday in Ireland for at least a week in 2021, compared to the 30.9% of respondents who said they took a holiday of the same period in Ireland last year.

Three in four (73.3%) of respondents said that in a usual year before Covid-19, they would have taken an international holiday. Less than one in six (15.9%) said that they intended on holidaying overseas in 2021.

People between the ages of 35-44 were the most likely (45.3%) to respond that they intended on taking a holiday in the Republic of Ireland for at least a week. They were also the most likely (17.4%) to say that they intended on taking a holiday abroad in 2021.