80% of Vaccinated Adults Willing to Get Boosters

Fourth Quarter 2021 Social Weather Survey: 4 out of 5 vaccinated adult Filipinos are willing to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

by  Social Weather Stations

The national Social Weather Survey of December 12–16, 2021, found four out of five (80%) vaccinated adult Filipinos saying they are willing (73% surely, 7% probably) to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine [Chart 1].

On the other hand, the survey found 7% saying they are unwilling (3% probably not, 3% surely not, correctly rounded) to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The remaining 13% are uncertain about getting a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The December 2021 survey found only 8% of adult Filipinos saying they are unwilling to get vaccinated against COVID-19, down from the 18% in September 2021, 21% in June 2021, and 33% in May 2021 (“Fourth Quarter 2021 Social Weather Survey: Vaccine skepticism continues to wane,” 20 January 2022, www.sws.org.ph).

Willingness to get a booster shot is high in all areas

Among vaccinated adults, the percentage of those willing to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine varies slightly among areas, with Balance Luzon highest at 82% (75% surely, 7% probably), followed by Metro Manila at 81% (76% surely, 5% probably), the Visayas at 79% (71% surely, 8% probably), and Mindanao at 78% (68% surely, 10% probably) [Chart 2].

On the other hand, those unwilling to get a booster dose hardly vary by area, ranging from 6-7%.

At the same time, those uncertain about getting a booster dose are highest in Mindanao at 17%, followed by the Visayas at 15%, Metro Manila at 12%, and Balance Luzon at 10%.

Willingness to get a booster dose is high in all education levels

Among vaccinated adults, the percentage of those willing to get a booster dose is high in all educational groups: it is 86% (80% surely, 6% probably) among college graduates, 79% (72% surely, 8% probably, correctly rounded) among junior high school graduates, 77% (71% surely, 6% probably) among elementary graduates, and 82% (71% surely, 11% probably) among non-elementary graduates [Chart 3].

On the other hand, those unwilling to get a booster dose are highest among non-elementary graduates at 10%, followed by junior high school graduates at 8%, elementary graduates at 5%, and 1% among college graduates.

Those uncertain about getting a booster dose are 13% among college graduates, 12% among junior high school graduates, 17% among elementary graduates, and 8% among non-elementary graduates.

Willingness to get a booster dose rises with age

The percentage of vaccinated adults willing to get a booster dose is high in all age groups: it is highest among those 55 years old and above at 84% (77% surely, 77% probably), followed by the 45-55-year-olds at 81% (77% surely, 5% probably, correctly rounded), the 35-44-year-olds at 79% (69% surely, 10% probably), the 25-34-year-olds at 78% (73% surely, 5% probably), and the 18-24-year-olds at 74% (61% surely, 13% probably) [Chart 4].

On the other hand, those unwilling to get a booster dose hardly vary by age group, ranging from 5-10%.

Those uncertain about getting a booster dose are slightly lower among those 55 years old and above (9%) than among the 45-55-year-olds (12%), the 35-44-year-olds (16%), the 25-34-year-olds (14%), and the 18-24-year-olds (14%).

Survey background

The Fourth Quarter 2021 Social Weather Survey was conducted from December 12-16, 2021, using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Face-to-face is the standard interviewing method for Social Weather Stations; the only exceptions were early in the pandemic when movement restrictions made face-to-face impossible and mobile phone interviews were conducted. Normal face-to-face field operations resumed in November 2020. The sampling error margins are ±2.6% for national percentages and ±5.2% for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The area estimates were weighted by the Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2021 to obtain the national estimates.

The survey items reported here were non-commissioned. They were done on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service.

The exact phrasing of the survey questions (the source language is Filipino; English translation included) was:

“IF VACCINATED WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF COVID-19 VACCINE: Kung magrerekomenda ang Department of Health o DOH ng “booster dose” o karagdagang bakuna ng COVID-19 vaccine para sa mga taong nabakunahan tulad mo, kayo po ba ay…  (SHOWCARD: Siguradong magpapabakuna; Malamang na magpapabakuna; Hindi tiyak kung magpapabakuna o hindi; Malamang hindi magpapabakuna; Siguradong hindi magpapabakuna)? [IF VACCINATED WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF COVID-19 VACCINE: If the Department of Health or DOH would recommend a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for vaccinated people like you, would you… (SHOWCARD: Surely get vaccinated; Probably get vaccinated; Be unsure about getting vaccinated; Probably not get vaccinated; Surely not get vaccinated)?]”

SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data processing, and analysis and does not outsource any of its survey operations. This report was prepared by Leo S. Laroza.

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