Originally published October 6, 2023 7:45 am PDT
Findings published on Friday of a recent Ipsos poll sheds light on the disparate attitudes toward receiving the updated COVID-19 booster shot among Americans, with political affiliation emerging as a primary factor.
The poll, conducted from September 29 to October 1, 2023, unveils a striking divide between Democrats and Republicans regarding the likelihood of getting the updated booster.
As per the poll, the American populace is evenly split in their intentions to receive or forgo the updated COVID-19 booster shot.
“As of early October, 6% of Americans report having already received the updated COVID-19 booster. Another 43% say they are likely to receive it, with 30% saying they are very likely to get boosted. Meanwhile, half of Americans say they are unlikely to receive the vaccine, with 37% saying they are not at all likely to receive it,” the report states.
The partisan divide is quite evident from the findings.
“While 70% of Democrats say they are likely to or have already received the updated booster, just 28% of Republicans say the same,” according to the poll results.
Conversely, “71% of Republicans say they are unlikely to receive the updated booster, and just 30% of Democrats say the same.”
The report explains that differences by party affiliation “are primarily driving the split in plans to receive the updated COVID-19 booster shot.”
Independents appear to be more evenly divided, with 51% indicating they have already received or are likely to receive the updated booster, while 49% express they are unlikely to do the same.
Moreover, the data also pointed out notable differences in age and educational attainment.
“College-educated Americans and those over age 50 are more likely to have received or to plan to receive the new booster,” as per the report’s findings.
Besides political affiliation, the age and educational attainment of the respondents also played a significant role in the likelihood of receiving the booster.
It’s possible that Americans are becoming weary of the vaccine’s reported side effects.
A study published last month and conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health linked COVID-19 vaccinations to unexpected vaginal bleeding in nonmenstruating women.
The peer-reviewed study, published in Science Advances, examined self-reported incidents of unexpected vaginal bleeding across different cohorts over a span of 8 to 9 months, amid the ongoing pandemic.
The researchers focused on data from 7,725 postmenopausal women, 7,148 perimenopausal women, and 7,052 premenopausal women.
Among these groups, 3.3%, 14.1%, and 13.1% reported “unexpected vaginal bleeding” during the study period, respectively.
Notably, the postmenopausal women experienced a two- to threefold increase in the risk of unexpected vaginal bleeding, termed as postmenopausal bleeding, in the 4 weeks following COVID-19 vaccination, as compared to a pre-vaccination period.
Furthermore, the risk of unexpected vaginal bleeding post-vaccination soared three- to fivefold in both nonmenstruating peri- and premenopausal women.
