The attitude of Russians towards contracting the coronavirus has stabilized. More than a half (57%) fear of getting infected, 41% do not. The differences from October data are minor. Men are significantly less afraid of getting infected than women (47% and 64% accordingly). The level of fear is higher among older age groups.
Do you fear contracting the coronavirus?
| Feb.20 | Mar.20 | Apr.20 | July.20 | Oct.20 | Dec.20 | |
| Definitely yes | 11 | 20 | 26 | 22 | 31 | 29 |
| Probably yes | 19 | 24 | 31 | 27 | 33 | 28 |
| Probably not | 35 | 29 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 21 |
| Definitely not | 33 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 20 |
| This is the first time I have heard of this | <1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| It is difficult to say | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Sex | Age | ||||||
| Overall | Male | Female | 18-24 y.o. | 25-39 y.o. | 40-54 y.o. | 55 y.o. and older | |
| Definitely yes | 29 | 22 | 34 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 39 |
| Probably yes | 28 | 25 | 30 | 30 | 23 | 29 | 31 |
| Probably not | 21 | 24 | 18 | 28 | 27 | 22 | 13 |
| Definitely not | 20 | 25 | 15 | 22 | 26 | 20 | 14 |
| It is difficult to say | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Although, the vaccination has started, the Russians’ enthusiasm has not grown in comparison to summer and autumn. Only 38% of Russians are ready to get a vaccine, in October and August those numbers were 36% and 38% accordingly. 58% still are not ready to get vaccinated, even for free. Older respondents show more enthusiasm about getting vaccinated.
Among those, who approve Putin, a relative majority is ready to get a vaccination. Among the opponents the vast majority is not ready to vaccinate.
The desire to vaccinate is steadily higher in age groups older than 40 among those, who speak about television as a main source of information. Active Internet users among all age groups prefer to abstain from vaccination.
The vaccination against the coronavirus has started with the domestic vaccine Sputnik-V. Are you personally ready to be vaccinated against the coronavirus if the vaccine is free and voluntary?
| Aug.20 | Oct.20 | Dec.20 | |
| Yes | 38 | 36 | 38 |
| No | 54 | 59 | 58 |
| I am against any vaccination/inoculation | 2 | 1 | – |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Sex | Age | Approval of Putin | ||||||
| Male | Female | 18-24 y.o. | 25-39 y.o. | 40-54 y.o. | 55 y.o. and older | Approve | Disapprove | |
| yes | 39 | 37 | 33 | 25 | 40 | 48 | 50 | 19 |
| no | 56 | 59 | 67 | 70 | 56 | 47 | 46 | 77 |
| It is difficult to say | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| ARE YOU AFRAID OF CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS? | |||||
| ARE YOU PERSONALLY READY TO GET VACCINATED BY SPUTNIK V? | Definitely yes | Probably yes | Probably not | Definitely not | It is difficult to say |
| Yes | 49 | 46 | 26 | 26 | 23 |
| No | 46 | 50 | 70 | 71 | 70 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
Among the most popular reasons for refusal to get vaccinated is the aspiration to wait till the end of the vaccine trial (30%) and the fear of side effects (26%). 12% have contraindications for vaccination, 12% more do not see the point of vaccination.
Why are not you ready to get vaccinated by Sputnik V? Choose the main reason (as %% of those, who answered)
| It is needed to wait till the end of all trials | 30 |
| I fear side effects of the vaccination | 29 |
| I have contraindications | 12 |
| There is no point in getting vaccinated | 12 |
| I am against any vaccination | 10 |
| Other | 6 |
| It is difficult to say | 1 |
This survey was conducted December 21–23, 2020, among a representative sample of all Russian urban and rural residents. The sample was comprised of 1617 people aged 18 or older. The survey was conducted as a telephone interview (CATI) on a random sample (RDD) of personal phone numbers and landlines. The answer distribution is presented as percentages of the total number of participants along with data from previous surveys. The statistical error is below 2,4%.
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