COVID vaccine vial Much of their resistance to COVID vaccines is philosophical — 70% are opposed to vaccines in general — but 19% don't trust the government's role in administering the vaccine.

Thirty percent of workers say they will wait and see others fare with the COVID-19 vaccine before getting vaccinated themselves, according to a new survey by Buck, a benefits consulting and tech firm. Their reasons, though, show that managers who want to encourage their teams to get vaccinated face a complex challenge that requires dynamic messaging to address workers' varied concerns.

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Those concerns include distrust of the government and its ability to oversee administration of the vaccine, distrust of their employers, misunderstandings about costs associated with the vaccine, and a preference for a particular vaccine, the survey found.

Buck identified five broad groups based on workers' attitudes toward the vaccine that managers need to be prepared to address. At opposite ends of the spectrum are "hardcore anti-vaxxers" (6%) and a much larger  "hardcore pro-vaxxer" (25%) group. However, the remaining two-thirds expressed mixed feelings of concern, distrust and misunderstanding that could affect how employers speak to them about getting vaccinated.

"At the extremes are the hardcore anti-vaxxers, who are 'un-moveable,' and the hardcore pro-vaxxers, who are eager to get the next available appointment," Jill Spielberger, engagement practice leader at Buck, said in a statement. "The 'movable middle' includes employees who have yet to make a decision on the vaccine and are members of the subgroups who are unsure, COVID-affected, or remote and stressed."

Anti-vaccine

The 6% of anti-vaccine workers represent over a quarter of all respondents who said they would refuse the vaccine, as 42% believe it's not worth the risk. Much of their resistance is philosophical — 70% are opposed to vaccines in general — but 19% don't trust the government's role in administering the vaccine. The most effective messages for this group focused on how people like them have been vaccinated.

Unsure

Almost a quarter of respondents could be called "unsure" about the vaccine, but in some ways, they're more resistant than their anti-vaccine counterparts. They're more likely to say the vaccine isn't worth the risk (49%).

They expressed high levels of distrust of their employers, with 58% saying senior management isn't looking out for workers' best interests and 51% saying companies take advantage of workers. Almost half don't believe their organization's commitment to social justice isn't genuine, and 42% don't think their managers understand what workers have experienced over the past year.

Along with anti-vaccine workers, the unsure segment is more likely to include non-white women earning lower incomes and with worsening health. The unsure segment is not opposed to vaccines on principle, and responded well to messages that focused on how vaccination would help protect their friends and family.

COVID-affected

Younger white men with higher incomes are the most common demographic among those affected by COVID. They're more likely to be caregivers, to have had the disease themselves, or to have a condition that could be complicated by COVID. They're also more likely to have lost someone to the disease. Interestingly, this group is generally opposed to vaccines, but their experience with COVID-19 has made them more willing to make an exception. Their resistance is largely based on wanting to wait for a particular vaccine to become available. Messaging should emphasize the value of getting any vaccine that's available to them.

Remote and stressed

Buck categorized 23% of workers as "remote and stressed." These employees are working from home (41%) and feel disconnected from their coworkers (33%). They are more likely to be white or Asian men, are balancing caregiving responsibilities with work, and have also likely lost a loved one to COVID-19. They responded well to messages regarding the vaccines' effectiveness.

Pro-vaccine

Almost all of the 25% of workers who are pro-vaccine say they are ready and wiling to be vaccinated as soon as they can. They tend to be middle-income white or Hispanic women in good health. Although this group needs little encouragement, messaging geared toward hold-outs should focus on vaccine efficacy and protecting others from getting sick.

 

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