Anti-vaccine sentiment in France is at one of the highest rates in the world. Between 2% and 10% of French people are considered die-hard anti-vaccination while experts put those who are “vaccine hesitant” between 25% and 70%.
The pandemic has only served to highlight the phenomenon. A 15-country survey conducted by Ipsos and the World Economic Forum at the end of December showed that France had the lowest rate of intent to receive the COVID-19 vaccine of those polled, at 40%, compared with China’s 80%.
Why We Wrote This
France is a leading cultural and scientific nation. So why are the French also one of the most skeptical publics in the West when it comes to vaccines, and the COVID-19 vaccine in particular?