Attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination among children and young people in Suffolk
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Healthwatch Suffolk heard from 3,278 young people in secondary schools and colleges between May and July 2021. They asked about attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccination.
36% of respondents were very likely to have the vaccination when it became available, and 21% were likely. ¼ of respondents were unsure whether they would get the vaccine or not.
Being very likely or likely to have a vaccine appeared to be generally positively correlated with school year; younger students were the most likely to be unsure.
43% of those ‘unsure’ about having a vaccine indicated they were worried about side effects. Fear of needles was a common concern amongst those who were very unlikely to accept a vaccination and others did not feel at risk of the virus.
Healthwatch Suffolk also asked young people where they heard information about the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccine programme. The most common sources of information were parents and guardians, both online and TV news, their school and college, and social media.