President-elect Biden receives the first of two COVID-19 vaccine doses and urges Americans to do the same.
STAFF VIDEO, USA TODAY
The vaccines are coming. Now, how many Americans will actually get them?
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It's a looming question, perhaps the most important one as the coronavirus continues to surge in the U.S. Medical experts say vaccine-induced herd immunity — when enough people are immune that the virus will find it difficult to spread — is the best way to end the pandemic.
Overall, 60% of Americans say they would definitely or probably get the vaccine if one were available today, according to a Pew Research Center survey this month, up from 51% who said so in September. Nearly 40% said they definitely or probably would not get a coronavirus vaccine, though about half of this group – about 18% of U.S. adults – say they could change their minds.
What will that take?
USA TODAY spoke with Jay Van Bavel, a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University and director of the Social Identity & Morality Lab, and Gretchen Chapman, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University who studies judgment and decisions in health, to get advice on what everyday Americans can do to encourage their families, friends and community members to get the vaccine.