Gen X Rejects C19 Vaccine. NewsWire

NewsWire: 6/23/21

• About a quarter of Americans are not and do not plan to be vaccinated. Most of these people (78%) say they are unlikely to reconsider as President Biden’s goal of having 70% of adults vaccinated looms nearer. (Gallup)
• NH: President Biden has set a goal for 70% of US adults to receive at least one Covid-19 vaccine by July 4. And if that goal is met, Anheuser-Busch (BUD) will give every adult a free beer. But alas, the chances of reaching this threshold in time are waning. Only 65.4% of the population has received a shot, and Independence Day is almost here.
• So what do we know about Americans who still aren’t vaccinated? 
• Well, at this point, the vast majority of them have chosen not to get vaccinated. According to a new Gallup survey, a quarter of Americans (24%) do not plan to receive the vaccine. Of this group, 20% say they are “likely” or “somewhat likely” to change their mind. But 78% say it’s “unlikely” they will ever reconsider their decision.
• Gallup found that Republicans and those without a college degree are most likely not to be vaccinated.

• By age, those in midlife are the most likely to be vaccine dubious. 33% of 35- to 54-year-olds plan not to be vaccinated. In comparison, only 20% of those 55+ and 22% of those ages 18-34 say the same thing. 

• As you can see, the generation most resistant to the vaccine is Generation X. Should that surprise us? For starters, Gen Xers have always leaned Republican, and they have been most likely to vote GOP for most of their lives. (See "Why Gen X Favors Trump.") And even more than Boomers--who also lean Republican today--they tend to be distrustful of big political and media institutions, like, say, the CDC and Big Pharma. (See “Are Americans Losing Their Minds?" and "Is the Public Square Disintegrating?") Probably more than any other generation, they've been the most receptive to the far-out conspiracy theories. That includes QAnon, who is a major vaccine skeptic. 
• Sure, plenty of older Americans, including Boomers, also don't trust the likes of Anthony Fauci. But Boomers are at a much greater risk of dying from Covid-19, making them more likely to follow Shakespeare's advice that "the better part of valor is discretion." That leaves Xers on their own island.
• So will anything change these people’s minds? Those with health and safety concerns are the most likely candidates. Gallup found that 23% of skeptics say they want more information confirming the vaccine's safety. And a KFF survey found that 33% of those who aren’t vaccinated would reconsider if a vaccine received full FDA approval. KFF also found that 10-15% of people would reconsider if offered monetary incentives.
• But IMO, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to win over the ideologically motivated through material rewards. To them, the offer of free beer would simply deepen their contempt for the deep state.