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Question about young people?
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Writer's pictureCollege Reaction

Doctors are the new influencers




The following is based on research conducted in collaboration with Beat The Virus. The #BeatTheVirus team is a partnership between New America and the MIT Media Lab involving a coalition of experts in public health, data analytics, media, and marketing focused on empowering people with the information they need during every stage of the fight against COVID-19. Support for the survey and BeatTheVirus.org website was provided in part by New America under a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The views expressed as part of this project do not necessarily reflect the views of RWJF or New America.



And the youth are on deck.


The moment: Older adults have been rolling up sleeves for months, but most young people still haven’t had a shot at the shot.


· Vaccinating young people will dent the pandemic’s velocity.

· Their blend of a healthy social appetite and a perceived shield from true danger makes youth vaccination critical.


There are a few camoflauged clues on how to maximize youth adoption of the COVID-19 vaccine.


Our key questions:

· Whose endorsement has the most sway in persuading young people to take the vaccine?

· Which racial, political and socioeconomic gulfs exist?

· Are young people engaging in risky behavior?




BeatTheVirus/Generation Lab Poll

n=808 | March 24-30


*Sponsored by New America's Health Innovation's Lab


1. Doctors are the most powerful vaccine endorsers


69% of respondents said that they trust their own doctors the most to endorse the vaccine and only 3% say they’d trust a celebrity or social media influencer most.

2. Major confidence - uneven across demographic groups


There’s resounding confidence among young Americans in the vaccine’s efficacy; however, this confidence decreases significantly within certain demographics.


3. Vaccine-takers tend to persuade others while skeptics do not


Of vaccine-takers, 81% say that they try to convince friends and family to take the vaccine, however; only 16% of vaccine skeptics say that they try to persuade others to not take the jab.



4. Spring break is here, and young people are heading out of town


61% of respondents say that they will be traveling out of town for the break. A quarter of springbreakers say that they will attending indoor gatherings - including restaurants or bars.






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