Johannesburg, South Africa – When the South African government launched its much-anticipated coronavirus vaccination campaign on Wednesday, Johanna Monama did not pay much attention.
Instead of following live televised coverage of healthcare workers and President Cyril Ramaphosa rolling up their sleeves, Monama, 34, was tending to other problems: hunger, housing and despair. A single mother to a 13-year-old, she has struggled without a steady income since she lost her job at a major South African bank last year.
After she was let go, Monama, an auxiliary social worker, became involved in community work for which she receives a small stipend. Registering people for food parcels in a low-income neighbourhood east of inner-city Johannesburg, she realised that her personal problems – unemployment, not knowing how to pay rent or school fees – were small compared with those others were facing.
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The majority of the almost 11,000 citizens who were surveyed and showed willingness to take the vaccine were ANC supporters.
When it came to the opposition parties, the survey revealed that where the party leaders have advocated or supported the vaccine, its members seemed more receptive of it.
“Nearly 80% of ANC voters [who took part in the survey] either would or probably would take the vaccine. These figures mirror the views of how well the president has done in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said sociology professor Kate Alexander.
“Those who have done a good job are much more likely to accept the vaccine than those who think he has done a bad job,” Alexander added. “It does seem very clear that people who identify with the president in particular, are more willing to take the vaccine so leadership matters and it has had an impact on whether people think [the vaccine] is something or something bad.”
AFP Emmanuel Croset / AFP
Reportedly, as many as 52% of respondents said they would definitely take the vaccine, while 14% said they probably would do so.
This would translate to around 67% of the population who would be willing to take the vaccine - the amount needed to ensure population immunity.
The demographic most likely to take the vaccines was those without matric, the study reportedly found. The willingness to take the vaccine decreased among more educated respondents.
The survey also reportedly found that the race group that showed the most willingness to take the vaccine was black South Africans. This was followed by Indian and coloured people. White people were least receptive to it.