More Filipinos willing to get COVID-19 vaccine, latest SWS survey shows

PROTECTION Several residents displaced by the activity of Taal Volcano receive their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine at Plaza Elena evacuation center in Agoncillo, Batangas province, on Monday as the government ensures that evacuees will be protected against COVID-19. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipinos are willing to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic — around 45 percent — a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

While the percentage of willing people according to SWS’ interviews last June 23 to 26 did not reach 50 percent, this was already a huge improvement from the numbers especially those from just a month before this survey.

Back in May, SWS released a similar survey which showed only 32 percent of Filipinos were willing to be inoculated.  Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who were uncertain also dropped, from 35 percent in May to 24 percent by June.

Still, there were 21 percent who are not willing to be vaccinated — but this was way lower than the 33 percent recorded in May.

“The national June 23–26, 2021 Social Weather Survey found 45% of adult Filipinos saying they are willing (consisting of 36% surely and 9% probably), 24% saying they are uncertain, and 21% saying they are unwilling (consisting of 3% probably not and 18% surely not) to get vaccinated against Covid-19,” SWS said.

“The latest percentage of those willing to get vaccinated is 13 points above the 32% (consisting of 23% surely and 9% probably) in May 2021. At the same time, those uncertain about it fell from 35%, while those unwilling to get vaccinated fell from 33% (consisting of 7% probably not and 26% surely not),” it added.

Willingness to get vaccinated is highest in Metro Manila with 49 percent — an eight percentage point jump compared to last May.  It was followed by Luzon at 46 percent, Mindanao with 42 percent, and Visayas with 41 percent.

At the same time, the lowest number of people who do not want to be immunized are also in Metro Manila, while the area with the highest percentage of people shunning vaccines is Visayas with 31 percent, followed by Mindanao with 23 percent, and Luzon with 20 percent.

Most of the uncertain answers are from Mindanao (29 percent), followed by Balance Luzon (26 percent), Visayas (21 percent), and Metro Manila (16 percent).

Unsurprisingly, a huge chunk of respondents who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine comes from Metro Manila, also at 21 percent, followed by Balance Luzon and Visayas (five percent each), and Mindanao (three percent).

SWS said that for the latest survey, respondents were asked to choose whether they would surely get vaccinated, probably get vaccinated, be unsure about vaccination, probably not get vaccinated, or surely not getting vaccinated should they get access to a free vaccine approved by health authorities.

The country’s vaccination willingness numbers have varied a lot, and not only from one polling firm to another.  A survey from SWS last November 2020 — during the time when vaccines are on the process of being mass produced and distributed to pioneering countries — 66 percent said that they would either definitely get the vaccine or probably get the vaccine.

But a twin survey of the SWS’s May 2020 survey also showed that while 33 percent do not want to be vaccinated, 50 percent have expressed trust on the government’s vaccination program.

Another polling firm in Pulse Asia released worse numbers: almost half or 47 percent of Pulse Asia respondents said that they do not want to get vaccinated while only 32 percent showed a willingness to receive the vaccine while 21 percent are still undecided.

READ: Pulse Asia: Majority of Filipinos concerned about safety of COVID-19 vaccines

As of Wednesday — which was the record-highest day of vaccinations in the Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that 14 million doses have been administered, with 10 million of which being first doses.

SWS said that data from the June 23 to 26 was obtained through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults, subdivided into 300 each from the locales of Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages and ±6% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao are maintained, SWS added.

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