23% of Bulgarians say they will never get Covid-19 jab – highest in EU
Twenty-three per cent of Bulgarians polled by Eurobarometer said that they would “never” get vaccinated against Covid-19, the highest percentage in an EU country.
The poll was done between May 21 and 26 and the results released on June 17.
Of the Bulgarians polled, 11 per cent said that they would get the jab as soon as possible, 16 per cent said some time in 2021, 18 per cent said “later”, 20 per cent said that they already had been, eight per cent said “don’t know” and three per cent preferred not to answer the question.
Among those willing to be vaccinated, the leading reasons were that vaccination would end the pandemic, and that they would be able to see family and friends.
Among those refusing, the leading reasons were that the vaccines were “not sufficiently tested” and that they were worried about the side-effects.
Asked if they agreed that everyone should get vaccinated and that this was a civic duty, 16 per cent said that they fully agreed, 21 per cent tended to agree, 26 per cent tended to disagree and 33 per cent totally disagreed.
Asked if vaccination against Covid-19 should be compulsory, 46 per cent of Bulgarians polled totally disagreed, 28 per cent tended to disagree, 15 per cent tended to agree and eight per cent totally agreed.
Sixteen per cent totally disagreed that the vaccinations against Covid-19 authorised for use in the EU were safe, while 18 per cent totally agreed.
Thirty-eight per cent totally agreed that the vaccinations could have “long-term side-effects that we don’t know about”.
Asked to name their most trusted source of information about vaccines against Covid-19 vaccines, 60 per cent named health professionals, 35 per cent Bulgarian public health authorities, 29 per cent people around them such as friends and colleagues, 25 per cent the EU, 17 per cent the media, 13 per cent websites, 12 per cent social networks, 11 per cent the Bulgarian government and eight per cent regional and local authorities.
As to their views on how Bulgaria’s government had handled the vaccination strategy, 24 per cent said that they were totally dissatisfied, 24 per cent fairly dissatisfied, 36 per cent fairly satisfied and 10 per cent very satisfied.
Asked if they knew someone who had tested positive, 85 per cent said yes, 12 per cent said no, two per cent said “don’t know” and one per cent refused to answer.
As to whether they had tested positive, 79 per cent said no, 13 per cent said yes and eight per cent said “don’t know”.
Forty-three per cent said that they feared getting infected while 39 per cent said that they did not.
Asked if they believed vaccines to be safe, 11 per cent totally disagreed, 23 per cent said that they tended to disagree, 46 per cent tended to agree and 15 per cent totally agreed.
Asked if they believed vaccines to be effective, eight per cent totally disagreed, 14 per cent tended to disagree, 51 per cent tended to agree and 23 per cent totally agreed.
Eurobarometer said that across the EU, 75 per cent agreed that Covid-19 vaccines are the only way to end the pandemic.
Sixty-nine per cent are either already vaccinated, or eager to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
Seventy-nine per cent intend to get vaccinated sometime this year, Eurobarometer said.
(Photo: Bulgaria’s Military Medical Academy)
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