About 9% of younger people refusing Covid-19 vaccine, survey finds

Almost one in 10 people aged between 18 and 34 are refusing to get a Covid-19 vaccine, the latest survey from the biopharmaceutical industry shows.

Vaccine refusal among this age group is running at 9 per cent, almost twice the level across the general population, the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association has found.

In the general population, 4 per cent are unsure about taking a Covid-19 vaccine but within the 18- to 34-year-old age group the figure is running at twice this level, the highest level of any age group. There are about 1.2 million people in this age group.

"Overall, the vaccination rate is very high. But hesitancy, although proportionately small, is still sticky, especially among some younger people," said Bernard Mallee, director of communications and advocacy at the IPHA.

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The survey of more than 1,000 adults by research company Ipsos MRBI has found that the proportion of people overall who will refuse a Covid-19 vaccine has remained steady at about 5 per cent.

While the number of people who are unsure about getting a Covid-19 vaccine has declined since January, the level has slowed to about 4 per cent in recent months.

The HSE is encouraging any remaining people who have not been vaccinated to come forward to get the jab.

More than 92 per cent of the adult population have been fully vaccinated, while almost 90 per cent of the population aged 12 and over have been vaccinated, giving the country one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

About 20 per cent of 16- and 17-year-olds have not been vaccinated, while 31 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds have not registered for the shots.

The HSE will be running a campaign over the coming week to encourage greater vaccine take-up among people who are hesitant, women who have concerns about pregnancy and fertility, and individuals who have decided not to get vaccinated because of underlying conditions.