A worker at a nursing home in western Seoul receives AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine on March 2, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Almost half of South Koreans believe that getting vaccinated for the coronavirus is everyone’s responsibility to protect the health of others.
A research team from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Health conducted a survey of 1,084 adults in the country, 54.4 percent of whom believed that getting vaccinated is ‘everyone’s duty’.
Only 12.5 percent believed that vaccination is a ‘choice’, while 26.7 percent believed it is both a choice and a responsibility.
The belief that vaccination is everyone’s duty tended to grow stronger among older respondents.
Asked about their intention of getting vaccinated, provided that the inoculations were guaranteed by medical experts in terms of safety, were free of charge and available for everyone, 30.6 percent of respondents said they intended to get vaccinated regardless of the circumstances, while 49.1 percent said they would most likely get vaccinated.
Combining these two groups, a whopping 79.7 percent intended to get vaccinated.
When asked the same question but without mentioning safety guarantees by medical experts, the rate plunged to 52.5 percent.
The rate of positive response rose among older respondents.
While 32.9 percent of those in their 20s were willing to get vaccinated, the proportion rose to 42.5 percent among those in their 30s, 63.9 percent among those in their 50s, and 67.8 percent among those over 60 years of age.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
