As governments target 70% minimum vaccination bogies for their populations, recipient willingness is presumed but, according to several recent surveys, not assured. As shown in the chart below from surveys completed between August and October 31, appetite in Canada, the US, China and Russia remains sub-target even if shots are prescribed by law.
Economist Danielle Goldfarb adds this context:
Perhaps the most important factor determining the shape of the economic recovery will be whether and when enough people take a COVID vaccine to achieve herd immunity. Canada has a strong economic stake not only in its own citizens getting vaccinated but in global vaccination and global economic recovery. With a relatively small domestic market, Canadian livelihoods depend heavily on U.S. and global exports, international students, and tourists.
Vaccines on their own don’t save lives; widespread vaccinations do. The data in this chart show notable skepticism about vaccines in Canada, the U.S., and other countries, even in the face of the pandemic’s major economic and social disruptions. They reflect broad-based sentiment including opinions of those who are not typical survey takers nor express their pro- or anti-vaccination views on social media, and they were collected anonymously to maximize the chances of honesty on such a sensitive topic.
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