OCTA poll: Only 5% of adult Pinoys unwilling to get vaccinated vs. COVID-19

Only 5% of adult Filipinos are not willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the latest OCTA Research Group's Tugon ng Masa poll showed.

The OCTA survey, conducted December 7 to 12 last year, showed that only 5% of adult Filipinos are unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19 which is significantly lower than the 22% adult Filipinos in September 2021.

Vaccine hesitancy remains highest in Visayas and Mindanao at 9% each, followed by National Capital Region and Balance Luzon at 3% each.

Across socioeconomic classes, adult Filipinos in Class D and E have posted a higher percentage of vaccine hesitancy at 6% compared with only 4% for class ABC.

Safety, efficacy

The same OCTA survey revealed that uncertainty regarding the safety of vaccines is the top reason cited for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at 94%, followed by uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of the vaccines at 26%.

There were 12% of the respondents who said they do not need a COVID-19 vaccine to fight COVID-19, while 7% said they could not get vaccinated due to pre-existing medical conditions.

There were 6% who said the vaccine is not yet available in their city or municipality, while 1%  from Class D and E were hesitant to be vaccinated because it might not be free.

At the time that the latest OCTA poll was done, 74% of the survey's respondents have already been vaccinated. This number includes the 51% who already completed their two-dose vaccine and the 23% of respondents who only received their first dose of vaccination.

The same OCTA poll, however, stated that 89% of adult Filipinos are willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with 15% of those in the 89% yet to be vaccinated.

This figure is higher than the 61% of adult Filipinos who are willing to get vaccinated during OCTA's previous poll conducted in September 2021.

Got infected

In addition, the OCTA poll showed only 2% of adult Filipinos contracted COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated or completing their vaccine dosage.

The highest percentage of adults contracting COVID-19 after full vaccination was recorded in Balance Luzon at 3%, followed closely by Mindanao and Metro Manila at 2% and 1%, respectively.

On the other hand, 98% of fully vaccinated adult Filipinos did not  contract the COVID-19 virus after completing their vaccine dosage.

Sampling

OCTA Research's Tugon ng Masa poll is a non-commissioned poll which used a multi-stage probability sampling and face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above.

The survey utilizes a sampling design that allows for a 95% level of confidence with a margin of error at ±3%.

There are around 51 million Filipinos fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, including those aged 12 to 17. —KG, GMA News