KFF/Post Survey of Frontline Health Care Workers Finds Nearly Half Remain Unvaccinated

As of early March, just over half (52%) of frontline health care workers say they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, leaving 48% who have not, a new KFF/The Washington Post national survey of health care workers finds.

Most who work in hospitals (66%) and outpatient clinics (64%) say they have received a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to half who work in doctors’ offices (52%) or in nursing homes or assisted care facilities (50%), and a quarter (26%) of home health care workers. Similarly, seven in ten (68%) of those responsible for patient diagnosis and treatment like a doctor or a nurse report receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to about four in ten of those who perform administrative duties (44%) or who assist with patient care such as bathing, eating, cleaning, exercising, and housekeeping (37%).

The findings related to vaccination intentions come from a new KFF/Post partnership survey examining the experiences and attitudes of frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and appear in The Washington Post and in a KFF report. Additional findings focused on the emotional, physical and economic toll that the pandemic has taken on frontline health care workers will appear in future stories and reports.

Among the initial findings:

• The unvaccinated group of frontline health care workers includes some who either have their vaccination scheduled (3%) or plan to get vaccinated but haven’t scheduled it yet (15%). It also includes 3 in 10 who have either not decided whether they will get vaccinated (12%) or say they do not plan on receiving a COVID-19 vaccine (18%).
• A large majority of unvaccinated health care workers who either have not decided if they will get vaccinated, or say they do not plan to get vaccinated, say that worries about potential side effects (82%) and the newness of the vaccine (81%) are major factors in their decision making. These are the top concerns across the different demographic groups of unvaccinated health care workers including Black health care workers, Hispanic health care workers, and White health care workers.
• Among frontline health workers, half of Black workers, 45% of workers without a college degree, and four in ten Republican and Republican-leaning workers say they are not confident the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. have been properly tested for safety and effectiveness. About 1 in 5 of each of these groups also say they will definitely not receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Access to a COVID-19 vaccine from an employer is a key aspect of vaccination rates among frontline health care workers. 6 in 10 health care workers who are not self-employed say they were either offered or received a COVID-19 vaccine from their employer (including 84% of vaccinated health care workers). Reflecting the overall vaccination rates among frontline health care workers, the share of workers who were offered a COVID-19 vaccine from their employer was much lower among those working in patients’ homes (34%).