New study reveals most common reasons for vaccine-hesitancy among seniors’ caregivers, including concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine

Charlotte, NC; Aug. 31, 2021: Caring.com, a leading senior living referral service and the nation’s top site for senior care reviews, has published results from a survey that examines vaccine-hesitancy among private and professional caregivers of seniors. The study highlights responses from 2,000 caregivers about their vaccination status, plans for vaccination in the future, reasons for remaining unvaccinated, and planned responses to vaccine mandates.

Survey findings indicate that only 50 percent of seniors’ caregivers are fully vaccinated, and more than 20 percent have not started the process. Fifty-four percent of unvaccinated caregivers also cited that they would not get vaccinated despite a risk of getting fired or furloughed. Only 23 percent of unvaccinated caregivers say they would be willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine if required by their employer. These responses are especially worrisome given that seniors are a high risk group.

The top reasons that seniors’ caregivers give for remaining unvaccinated are concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Approximately 29 percent of respondents don’t believe that the shot is safe, and more than 21 percent aren’t sure that it’s effective. Additionally, 15 percent of caregivers believe they don’t need the vaccine or still have antibodies from contracting the virus.

“What we’ve learned from this study is that there is a worrying number of vaccine-hesitant caregivers,” says Jim Rosenthal, Caring.com’s CEO. “While employer and government mandates may be effective in convincing some caregivers to get vaccinated, the current data suggests continued work is needed to educate caregivers about the safety and necessity of vaccines. We are hopeful that the just-announced FDA full approval of the Pfizer vaccine will drive more people to get vaccinated.”

Data from the study also shows that unvaccinated caregivers are more likely to ignore COVID-19 safety protocols, such as masking and social distancing. Seventeen percent of unvaccinated respondents said they do not practice any common precautions against the virus. In contrast, only seven percent of vaccinated caregivers fail to follow safety guidelines.

Caring.com conducted this survey from August 9-11, 2021, in partnership with Pollfish – an online survey platform. The organization surveyed 1,000 private caregivers and 1,000 professional caregivers to gauge their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine mandates and safety protocols. To access the complete report, please visit https://www.caring.com/caregivers/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-survey/.