Attitudes of Poles towards vaccination against COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected social and economic life, disrupting the regular rhythm of functioning for almost everyone. The invention of a vaccine and its preventive effects were the main hope for a return to normalcy. This paper aims to investigate how the advance of the coronavirus pandemic influenced the perception of vaccines in society.

The present work was written on the basis of secondary research carried out, i.e., the analysis of statistical data available in global (WHO, Our World In Data) and national (CBOS, Ministry of Health data) databases, covering the period from 2019 to April 2022. In addition, primary research was carried out to identify Poles’ attitudes towards vaccination. The research was conducted on a sample of 152 people in May 2022. The results allowed for the formulation of conclusions. Research has shown that 92% of respondents received compulsory vaccines before the pandemic. In contrast, 76% received vaccinations against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which means that 16% had negative attitude towards covid vaccination. The overall vaccination of Poles is at 60%, which is 8 percentage points below the European average, and among the already vaccinated respondents only 42% plan to take the third dose. Moreover, more than half (51%) believe that their knowledge about vaccination is insufficient.