Covid vaccine hesitancy linked to Brexit voting patterns – iNews

People who voted for Brexit are less enthusiastic about having a coronavirus vaccine, new research suggested yesterday.

A survey by YouGov for Oxford University showed Remainers are nearly 7 percentage points more likely to have the jab than people who voted Leave in the 2016 referendum, 93.8 per cent compared to 87.1 per cent.

Green Party voters are the least likely to take up a vaccine, a likelihood of 79.4 per cent, while people who voted for the Brexit Party in 2019 were 86.4 per cent likely to have the jab.

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By contrast, those who vote for mainstream parties are more likely to have the vaccine: 92.9 per cent for Conservatives, 93 per cent for Labour and 98 per cent for the Liberal Democrats.

Ben Ansell, professor of Comparative Democratic Institutionsat Oxfords Department of Politics and International Relations, suggested the gap could be to a link between vaccine hesitancy and a lack of trust in government and traditional politics.

However all respondents were generally more likely to take up the jab than they were five months ago.

Age was a strong predictor of vaccine willingness, with older people more likely to have the jab than younger groups. People on lower incomes were on average less willing to have a vaccine.

The survey of 1,200 UK residents were contacted in October 2020 and again earlier this month.

Researchers said there was no evidence that the UKs leading role in approving or developing the vaccine affected willingness to take it.

Prof Ansell said: People have become massively more supportive of taking the vaccine overall but important gaps remain especially among groups whose trust in politicians is typically lower: non-voters, younger citizens, and poorer households.

When so much of the UK Governmentslockdown exit strategy rests on successful vaccine roll out, these insightswill be of immediate importance to policymakers in both their internal deliberationon policy and their outward facing communication with the public.

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Covid vaccine hesitancy linked to Brexit voting patterns - iNews