Under-25s keenest to get Covid-19 vaccine

Nine out of 10 employees aged under 25 want to get the Covid-19 vaccine when it is their turn, making them the keenest group to receive the jab of any other age group under 55, according to a survey.

The Cigna Europe survey found that 88% of “Generation Z” were keen to receive the vaccine, versus 80% of “millennials” – those aged 25 to 40 – who were the most concerned about the potential side-effects of the jabs.

More adults in the UK were concerned about transmitting the virus (65%) than catching it (41%)

Three-quarters of all UK adults who took part in the survey were confident that vaccines protected them from Covid-19, but 19% felt they did not know enough about vaccines.

“It’s extremely positive to see that under-25s are so on-board with the vaccination programme following so much press in recent months around vaccine hesitancy amongst this group. It is normal human instinct to question the new, yet this research shows encouraging uptake across all groups which is very welcome with concerns of the new Indian variant in pockets of the UK,” said Arjan Toor, CEO of Cigna Europe.

“The progress we are seeing is a result of the hard work and dedication of healthcare professionals, and it is this which is having a real and positive impact on the fight around the perception of the Covid-19 vaccine. Going forward, this research will help us understand more about how people feel about vaccines to enable us to better meet their needs and to provide the right support to improve their health, wellbeing and peace of mind in these unprecedented times.”

Cigna’s Global Vaccine Perception Study is an ongoing study that has been conducted since March 2021. To date, more than 26,000 online interviews have been conducted across 11 markets including the UK.

At time of publication, all UK adults aged 30 and over were being invited to book their Covid-19 vaccinations. Some 38.3 million people had received a first dose and 23.6 million second doses had been administered.