New research commissioned by the British Red Cross has revealed that black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME) are more likely to rely on vaccine information provided by their families than the government or the media.
A study published Friday by the British Red Cross shows that family conversations could play an important role in increasing Covid-19 jab uptake among vaccine-hesitant BAME communities.
Research says that 81 percent of BAME respondents said they trust information about coronavirus jabs given to them by family members, which is higher than the percentage who said they trust government information ( 66 percent) and mainstream media (50 percent).
The charity says vaccine skepticism actually varies among ethnic groups, with Indian (85 per cent) and Chinese (89 per cent) communities having a similar level of confidence in the jab as the British average (87 per cent).
The direct rejection of the vaccine was by far the highest among respondents from black African, black Caribbean or Pakistani communities. People with a black Caribbean background are likely to be skeptical, with 46 percent saying they will not take the vaccine or are unsure.
The survey also showed that 82 percent of BAME respondents who considered themselves ‘vaccine hesitant’ could be persuaded to have a jab if their fears, ranging from side effects, production rate and ingredients, are alleviated.
The publication of the study comes at a time when the UK vaccination program is struggling to develop well, but has been marred by frequent reports of vaccination hesitation in non-white communities.
On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II spoke out against the vaccine hesitation and urged individuals to do so “Think of other people rather than yourself.”
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