Just 51% of Americans expressed a clear willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine compared to 71% of residents in the United Kingdom, according to a study conducted during the first nine months of the pandemic.

“The data suggests that due to the confusion that existed in American politics, with even our leaders at the highest levels casting doubt on the pandemic, the scientific message was muddled in the US, whereas in the UK there was a unifying voice,” says Johannes Bauer, director of the Quello Center at Michigan State University and co-principal investigator of the research.

The study draws a striking contrast between the two English-speaking countries, identifying many factors that inform vaccination decisions. It reveals a failure in US politics and mass communication about the novel coronavirus that has complicated vaccination coverage levels needed to beat the pandemic in the US.

Factors associated with the willingness to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in the US include demographic indicators such as age, gender, income, and race. Black people were 64% less willing to get vaccinated than white people, a hesitancy that was unique to the US. Also, women were 43% less willing to be vaccinated than men.

Additional factors that make US residents reluctant or more willing to receive the vaccine include an individual’s concern about contracting the virus and their level of trust in the news media.

Read the full article about COVID-19 vaccines by Kim Ward at Futurity.