Only about half of Americans say they would get a vaccine for COVID-19 if one becomes available, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Another 31% of respondents said they "weren't sure" if they would get the vaccine, while about 20% said they would refuse it.
Polling shows that safety regarding the vaccine is American's top fear. Of those who said they won't get the vaccine, 70% say it's due to safety concerns. In contrast, 70% of Americans who would get a vaccine say that life won't return to normal until one is made available.
A majority of Americans — 61% — believe a vaccine will be available at some point in 2021. Only about 20% of those polled believe a vaccine will be available later this year.
Scientists around the world are currently racing to develop a vaccine. According to the Associated Press, there are about a dozen leading vaccine candidates worldwide, including one candidate developed by the Moderna which has already proved to be effective in small trials and is currently moving on to larger rounds of testing.
According to The Associated Press, health experts are worried that public opinion regarding a potential coronavirus vaccine could fall further should ambitious promises — like the one made by President Donald Trump to have a national stockpile of a viable vaccine by Jan. 1 — fail to deliver.